OLYMPIA — The Legislature has passed a bill that opens the door for a new Washington State University medical school in Spokane.
Senators approved House Bill 1559 on a 47-1 vote Wednesday, and the measure now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. The Senate had previously passed an identical version earlier this month, but moved to take a final vote on the House version of the bill.
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 multistate program it runs. The bill doesn’t appropriate any state money to a new school.
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