On Tuesday by close of business all bills must have passed their respective chambers to be considered viable this session. Legislators put in several hours on the floor moving legislation forward to meet this deadline.

Several higher education related bills have been passed by the either the Senate or House and will be considered by the opposite chamber in the next two weeks. Here is just a sampling:

• HB 2486: Allows the Department of Corrections to pay for postsecondary education degree programs and implement a program to provide postsecondary education.Referred to Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee.
• HB 2546: Cleans up outdated statutes. In particular the bill decodifies certain statutes pertaining to general obligation bonds that were issued for higher education capital projects and that have matured and provides expiration dates and clarifications for certain higher education provisions and programs. Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee.
• HB 2613: Changes to business practices resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. Among the changes proposed is permissive authority to prorate paychecks for faculty on nine-month appointments, to change payroll frequency from semi-monthly to biweekly and changes to existing reporting requirements. Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee.
• HB 2694: Requires the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) to design and implement, by the fall of 2015, a program that provides information to high-achieving, low-income high school students with the purpose of increasing the number of applications from this group of students to public baccalaureate institutions and independent, nonprofit baccalaureate degree-granting institutions in Washington. Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee.

• SB 5318: Removes the one-year waiting period for veterans or active members of the military for purposes of eligibility for resident tuition.  Referred to House Appropriations Committee.
• SB 5969: Provides for awarding academic credit for military training. Referred to House Higher Education Committee.
  
• SB 6358: Ensures that colleges and universities clearly disseminate their financial policies to students. Referred to House Higher Education Committee.
• SB 6362: Changes to business practices resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. Among the changes proposed is permissive authority to prorate paychecks for faculty on nine-month appointments, to change payroll frequency from semi-monthly to biweekly and changes to existing reporting requirements. Referred to House Higher Education Committee.
• SB 6436: Creates a workgroup that will make recommendations to ensure the College Bound Program is viable, productive, and effective.  Referred to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.