This week marks the last days of the 2014 supplemental session. Focused on advancing bills to the Governor’s desk and moving forward a conference operating and capital budget, the Legislature is putting in long days and nights.

The 2014 supplemental session is scheduled to end on Thursday, March 13. While as of the writing of this blog there is no final conference budget, the Senate and House are in the process of advancing a handful of higher education related policy bills to the Governor’s desk.

• Senate Bill 5969: Requires each public higher education institution to adopt a policy to award academic credit for military training courses or programs and to provide a copy of the policy to enrolled students who have listed prior or present military service in their application. Senate President has signed.
• Senate Bill 6358: Ensures that colleges and universities clearly disseminate their financial policies to students. Delivered to the Governor.
• Senate Bill 6436: Creates a College Bound Scholarship Work Group consisting of legislators and stakeholders to make recommendations for making the program viable. The Work Group must submit their report to the Governor and the Legislature by December 31 2014. Senate concurred in House amendments.
• House Bill 1669: Requires public baccalaureate institutions to provide notification to students prior to changing a degree program that is supported by state funding to a self-supporting, fee-based program and requires the establishment of a committee to evaluate a proposed shift from a state-funded degree program to a self-supporting, fee-based program. Passed Senate.
• House Bill 2612: Authorizes the Board to elect to have the Washington State Investment Board invest funds in the scholarship and endowment accounts and requires WASAC to manage the Opportunity Scholarship Match Transfer Account. House concurred in Senate amendments.
• House Bill 2613: Changes to business practices resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. House asks Senate to recede amendment.
• House Bill 2626:  Acknowledges the recommendations in the higher education ten-year Roadmap, the Legislature is encouraged by WSAC’s efforts to meet the following two educational attainment goals in order to meet the societal and economic needs of the future: (1) All adults in Washington ages 25 to 44 will have a high school diploma or equivalent by 2023; and (2) At least 70 percent of Washington adults ages 25 to 44 will have a postsecondary credential by 2023. Passed the Senate.

In addition the Legislature is advancing legislation that impacts higher education in its role as a state agency.

• House Bill 1841: Allows for electronic signatures for public works contracts. Delivered to the Governor
• House Bill 2105: Requires public agencies with governing bodies to post meeting agendas online at least 24 hours in advance of regular meetings and exempts agencies without websites or that employ fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees from posting agendas online. Delivered to the Governor.
• House Bill 2208: Increases the percent that can be self performed by the GC/CM from 30% to 50% for heavy civil construction projects. Delivered to the Governor.
• House Bill 2555: Building performance goals and validation requirements are required in the requests for proposals that the public body issues for Design Build services. Design Build proposals are exempt from disclosure until the highest scoring finalist has been selected, rather than when a contract agreement has been executed. House concurred in Senate amendments.
• House Bill 2724: Creates an exemption from the Public Records Act for certain information regarding archeological resources and traditional cultural places obtained by certain agencies, or shared between certain agencies or with tribes. House concurred in Senate amendments.
• Senate Bill 5964: Requires training for members of a governing body of a public agency on the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act,local and statewide elected officials and public records and agency records retention officers on the requirements of the Public Records Act and records retention/destruction procedures. Senate President signed.