Bill passed to show details of college sports budgets

OLYMPIA — A bill that would require public universities to release more details about their spending on sports has been passed by the Legislature and is headed to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.

The bill was approved 49-0 by the state Senate on Tuesday.

The Spokesman-Review says the bill would require that a university’s board of trustees approve athletic budgets at public hearings each year. If athletic departments run deficits, the board would have to approve a plan to reduce that deficit.

The University of Washington and Washington State University have battled athletic budget deficits in recent years.