OLYMPIA — The Senate has passed a bill that paves the way for a new Washington State University medical school in Spokane a day after the House passed an identical version of the measure.
Senate Bill 5487 moved on a 45-4 vote Tuesday. House Bill 1559 passed on an 81-17 vote Monday night. Now both chambers will decide which measure moves forward for a final vote.
The bill eliminates a restriction dating from 1917 that gives the University of Washington in Seattle the exclusive right to operate a public medical school in the state of Washington. The UW medical school admits only 120 Washington medical students each year. The UW currently trains some medical students in Spokane, through a program it has operated in partnership with WSU.
