The Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee heard two higher education related bills this afternoon and moved a handful of other bills while confirming several gubernatorial appointments.

Senate Bill 6409 would create the Washington Investment in Excellence Account. The account created in SB 6409 would be supported by lottery proceeds. The proceeds would be directed to recruit entrepreneurial researchers, innovation partnership zones, and research teams and financially support opportunity grants, educational opportunity grants, GET ready for math and science scholarships, passport to college promise, college bound scholarships, and the Washington promise scholarship.

Evergreen testified in support of SB 6409, encouraging lawmakers to ensure that the investment in financial aid identified in the bill is additive to the state’s current investment.

In addition substitute bill to Senate Bill 6358 was heard by the Committee. The substitute to Senate Bill 6358 requires four-year and two-year institutions to develop policies that ensure that students complete their programs in a timely manner in order to make the most efficient use of instructional resources and provide capacity within the institution for additional students. Sen. Kilmer, Chair and sponsor of the bill, struck prior language that would have placed a surcharge on students who do not complete their degrees in a timely manner in the substitute bill heard by the Committee.

The Committee also moved two higher education related bills out of committee and to the Rules Committee for consideration.

Substitute Senate Bill 6355, which implements the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s System Design recommendations, rewrites the intent of the original bill, does not subject the development of applied baccalaureates to appropriations, does not subject the expansion of applied baccalaureates to the major expansion process, changes the definition of “mission change” and “major expansion”, both major expansion and mission change are subject to the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s assessment and viability evaluation process, and makes eligible private, non-profit institutions for innovation incentive grants.

Substitute Senate Bill 6357 relating to the academic recognition of prior learning clarifies the policies on prior learning based upon prior experiences and adds the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to the list of institutions to be consulted.

Finally, the Committee approved several gubernatorial appointments including three to The Evergreen State College Board of Trustees – Irene Gonzales, Dixon McReynolds, and the reappointment of Kristin Hayden.