Hopes for a new UW branch campus were waylaid yesterday when a Senate Ways and Means Committee ruled that no fiscal action would be taken this session.

Committee chair Sen. Margarita Prentice determined after a brief hearing that nothing fiscally would be determined this session, as the committee intends to focus on determining which site, if any, is the ideal solution. Although Everett has long been considered the front-running location, representatives from Marysville and Lewis County were on hand to defend the appeal of their own sites.

“Nothing fiscal’s going to happen this year, which effectively killed ‘UW North,’” said Jean-Paul Willynck, a UW–Tacoma student lobbyist. “The way it sounds, [Prentice] wants to leave all options on the table, although Everett probably still dominates.”

The news came as a surprise to UW representatives, who expected the bill for a proposed campus to move through the committee.

“[Prentice] basically delayed it for this session, which was not expected by a lot of members,” said Bryce McKibben, director of the Office of Government Relations for the ASUW. “This year, the bill had been experiencing a rocky path, but today was the word from her.”

Although the decision comes as a surprise this early in the game, UW representatives maintain that it isn’t without merit.

“I’m all for increasing the amount of spaces that we have for students, and for getting students into college statewide,” said Elliot Helmbrecht, legislative coordinator for the Office of Government Relations for the ASUW. “It’s a big decision, though, and we have to make sure we’re spending that money wisely, so I do like that people are bringing these concerns to light.”

Prentice concluded the testimonies by assuring that all options would be considered thoroughly, and that the committee intends to investigate each site by touring and personal research.

“This is an issue we take very seriously, and we don’t want to blow it,” she said.

[Reach reporter Jeff Tripoli at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]