Author Archives: garverj

Baby Steps but Progress Nonetheless

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The House and Senate continued their hard work to move bills through the final stages of the legislative process.

The House passed SB 6401 with a vote of 98-0. Senate Bill 6401 establishes an alternative selection process for selecting mechanical or electrical subcontractors for general contractor/construction manager projects. Evergreen has supported Senate Bill 6401 from the beginning which offers an alternative approach and more options for the College is this area.

The House amended the bill to require the public solicitation of proposals for a mechanical or electrical contractor be provided to the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises; and includes the firm’s plan for outreach to minority and women-owned businesses as an evaluation factor for selection of the subcontractor.

Senate Bill 6401 now must go back to the Senate for concurrence.

The Senate passed House Bill 2575 with a vote of 28-19. HB 2575 expands the membership of the Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB) to

24 members to include representation from local public owners and regional transit authorities. The Evergreen State College works with CPARB in our capital project efforts.  Evergreen supports this change to the Board.

House Bill 2575 now goes to the Governor for her signature.

More Bills Trickle through Process

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As the week nears an end, the House and Senate continue to work hard to move bills through the final stages of the legislative process.

Earlier in the day, the House passed HB 3178 with a vote of 97-1.  House Bill 3178 organizes, consolidates, and, where appropriate, contracts with private providers for technology systems and resources.  In addition, the bill establishes spending restrictions for information technology for the 2009-2011 biennium.

The House passed a striker put forth by the House Ways & Means Committee which replaces the current language but maintains the intent of the bill. In addition, the final bill passed off the House floor with two amendments attached:

  • Amendment 119:  Adds the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to the list of higher education entities exempted from provisions of the bill.
  • Amendment 118: Removes the section of the bill that changes the Data Processing Revolving Fund from a non-appropriated to an appropriated account.

House Bill 3178 now goes to the Senate for further consideration.

The Senate was also busy moving bills through the process. The Senate passed House Bill 2481 with a vote of 47-0.

HB 2481 allows the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to become a viable partner in the area of biomass and a potential partner with Evergreen in our Biomass Gasification Project. 

As passed by the House, HB 2481 will allow the DNR to do the following:

  • Allows the department to enter into contract terms up to 15 years when an entity plans and commits to a capital investment of at least 50 million dollars prior to the contract and completes that investment prior to removal of biomass under the contract.
  • Allows the department to include provisions in the agreement that are periodically adjusted for market conditions.
  • Requires the contract to include provisions that allow the department, when it is in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries, to maintain access to existing users of biomass.
  • Ensures that biomass volume conveyed under this chapter will not be counted toward the department’s sustainable harvest target, except that appraised timber sold in a conventional timber sale will count toward the target whether individual trees are ultimately used by that purchaser for timber or biomass energy.
  • Excludes wood from existing old growth forests from the definition of forest biomass

The bills now goes to the House for concurrence.

Tuesday on The Hill

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Though today was set to be a long way, both chambers adjourned earlier than expected after passing a handful of bills.

The House did not take action on the operating or capital budget. However, the House did pass three bills of interest to Evergreen.

Senate Bill 6355 passed with a vote of 96-0. SB 6355, a.ka. the system design bill,  implements the recommendations put forth by the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (HECB) System Design Plan work during the interim.  The bill identifies a process for expanding the higher education system upon proven demand and for reaching the goals in the HECB’s Master Plan.

The bill passed with several amendments adopted to the bill.

  • Alters the current capital prioritization process for four-year, public baccalaureate institutions to require the Office of Financial Management to convene a group to rank higher education projects in single list by priority order.
  • Requires the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) to consider the strategic and operational use of technology in higher education as part of the process of developing the state needs assessment and provides the HECB with additional direction in awarding grants from the Washington Fund for Innovation regarding improving the use of technology.
  • Restores provisions in current law that require the HECB to give strong priority to proposals made through the Washington Fund for Innovation that involve more than one sector of education.
  • Clarifies that review of major expansion is limited to proposed capital investment in entirely new institutions, campuses, branches, or centers as well as conversion of existing campuses, branches, or centers that results in a mission change.

Senate Bill 6355 now goes back to the Senate for concurrence.

Senate Bill 6357 passed the House with a vote of 97-0. SB 6357 tasks the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), in consultation with numerous other persons and entities, with developing policies for awarding academic credit for learning from work and military experience, military and law enforcement training, career college training, internships and externships, and apprenticeships.

The bill now goes to the Governor for her signature.

Senate Bill 5543 passed the House with a vote of 71-27. SB 5543 was completely amended with new language put forth by the House Environmental Health Committee.

The new language requires every producer of mercury-containing lights (lamps, bulbs, tubes, or other devices containing mercury and providing illumination) sold in or into Washington for residential use to fully finance and participate in a product stewardship program; financing includes the Department of Ecology’s (Department) costs for administering and enforcing the program.  In addition the language requires:

  • All product stewardship programs must be approved and contracted by the Department but the product stewardship program is operated by a product stewardship organization.
  • Producers may participate in Department-approved independent plans that are individually or jointly financed and operated with other producers.
  • The product stewardship programs must be fully implemented by January 1, 2013.

Senate Bill 5543 now goes to the Senate for concurrence.

House Looks to Move Operating and Capital Budgets; Revenue Passes House Committee

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Overnight the focus of the Washington Legislature has moved from committees to the floor.

The House is expected to take up the operating budget and the capital budget today.

Though the House passed their proposed 2010 supplemental operating budget from committee to the floor late last week (HB 2824), it is the Senate’s proposed budget that will likely be the version voted on in the House.

The House has prepared a bill to strike the language from the Senate’s proposed 2010 operating budget (SB 6444) and include the House’s proposed operating budget language. As a result the House will effectively pass their proposed operating budget using SB 6444 as the vehicle.

This will force the bill to go to conference between the Senate and the House because it is unlikely that the Senate will agree to the changes the House will make on the floor when it votes on SB 6444.

The House will vote on its proposed 2010 supplemental capital budget as soon as today (HB 2836) . The Senate has yet to release a proposed 2010 supplemental capital budget.

Finally, the House Finance Committee held a public hearing and moved the House’s revenue package (HB 3191) out of committee and to the House floor.

More Bills Move Forward in Process

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Another legislative deadline passed today. Fiscal committees in each chamber must have moved legislation from the opposite chamber out of committee and to the floor.

The remainder of session will focus on floor action in each chamber as bills are moved either to the other chamber for concurrence or to the Governor for her signature.

Since Friday a handful of bills of interest to Evergreen have passed both chambers and are now headed to the Governor for her signature – Senate Bills 5041, 6467, and 6367.

House Bill 5041 creates a statewide program to increase state procurement contracts with veteran-owned businesses. The bill encourages encouraged to state agencies to award 3 percent of all procurement contracts under $35,000 to veteran-owned businesses. The bill passed the House with a vote of 94-0.

Senate Bill 6467 allows the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Western Washington University, Eastern Washington University, or community and technical colleges in existence in 1942 to confer honorary degrees upon persons who were students at those institutions in 1942, but did not graduate because they were ordered into an internment camp. An honorary degree may also berequested by relatives for deceased qualified persons. The bill passed the House with a vote of 96-0.

Senate Bill 6367 allows state agencies to provide an Internet address and link on the agency’s website to a specific record request in addition to providing a record in response to a public records request. If the requester informs the agency that he or she cannot access records through the Internet, the agency must provide hard copies or allow the requester to view copies on the agency computer.  The bill passed the House with a vote of 96-0.

Two bills of interest to Evergreen – SB 5295 and HB 2519 – passed their respective chambers and now are awaiting for the other chamber to concur with changes made to the bills.

Senate Bill 5295 addresses unanimous recommendations from the Public Records Exemption Accountability Committee.

House Bill 2519  among other changes the bill requires state institutions of higher education to waive all tuition, service fees and activity fees for children and spouses of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and Washington State Patrol Officers, that die or become totally disabled in theline of duty while employed by any public law enforcement agency or full-time or volunteer fire department in Washington. 

House Releases Revenue Package

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This afternoon the House released their proposed 2010 supplemental revenue package.

The House’s revenue package generates $758 million in new revenue for the remainder of the 2009-11 biennium and anticipates another $100 million to be generated from anticipated budget actions this session.

The House’s package resembles both the Governor and Senate’s proposed package. All three include closing tax loophooles and increases in sin taxes and both the House and Senate include savings from legislation to be enacted this session.

The largest difference among the revenue packages proposed is either the presence or absence of a sales tax. The Senate revenue package is the only one that includes a temporary increase in the sales tax.

Highlights of the House’s revenue package are below.

Highlights of Revenue Package

  • Narrows or eliminates numerous current tax preferences or “tax loopholes” ($385.31 million).
  • Removes sales tax exemptions for bottled water, elective cosmetic surgery, candy & gum, custom software, and janitorial services ($163.2million).
  • The cigarette tax is increased by $1 per package and taxes on other tobacco products are equalized ($111.6 million)
  • Increases taxes by 0.5% on lawyers, accountants, agends, marketing and management consultants ($21.7 million).
  • Repeals exemptions on investment earlings for nonfinancial firms ($58 million).
  • Implements savings from the Convention Center Tax Recovery (HB 3027) ($10.1 million)
  • Limits exemption to the wind M&E ($7.8 million)
  • Restores the PUD privilege tax to original legislative intent ($1.2 million).
  • Implements SB 6409 ($30 million)
  • Transfers funds from the captal budget ($70 million).

Details on the House’s proposed revenue package can be found on the House Democratic Caucus website.  

A public hearing on the revenue package (HB 3191) is scheduled for tomorrow, March 2, at 9:00 a.m. before the House Finance Committee.

House Ways and Means Committee Takes Action on Bills

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The House Ways & Means Committee met Saturday to hear a variety of bills and take action on several more.

The deadline for the Committee to consider Senate bills with a fiscal impact is end of day Monday, March 1.

The committee focused on two bills of interest to Evergreen – Senate Bill 6696 and House Bill 3178.

A public hearing was held on Senate Bill 6696. SB 6696 comprises several policy changes to K-12 to make Washington more competitive for Race to the Top dollars, including policies and structural changes in the areas of school and teacher evaluation, assessment, and preparation.

The Council of Presidents testified to their overall support for the bill and expressed concerns with an amendment included in the bill during executive action in the House Education Committee.

The amendment would  require the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to select up to three community colleges to offer a BA plus teaching certificate in a subject matter shortage area. The language specifies that programs are subject to degree and certificate program approval procedures by the SBCTC, HECB, and PESB.

The Council of Presidents stated that public baccalaurete institutions have extensive partnerships with community colleges to deliver bachelor’s degree programs on their campuses. Currently, four-year public institutions offer bachelor’s degrees at 24 of the 34 community and technical colleges. The concern expressed by the Council pertains to the authorization in the bill to develop and award bachelor’s degrees leading to a “baccalaureate degree with a residency teaching certificate” and “endorsement in a subject matter shortage area” means community colleges would offer academic bachelor’s in subjects such as math and science. This policy change was not discussed as part of the year-long System Design Plan nor in either the education or higher education policy committee in the House.

The Committee did not approve the amendment. Senate Bill 6696 passed out of committee and to the House floor for further consideration.

The Committee also took action on House Bill 3178. HB 3178 makes several policy changes that impact the Department of Information Services as well as state agency IT services and programs.  The Committee movd the bill out of committee and to the House floor for further consideration.

Senate Takes Action on Higher Education Purchasing Bill

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Saturday the  Senate passed House Bill 2858. 

HB 2858, initiated by the four-year public baccalaureate institutions, the bill would allow purchases of personal services; materials, supplies, or equipment; or information services made by state institutions of higher education  through group purchasing organizations.

The bill passed with a vote of 40-0. HB 2858 now goes to the Governor for her signature.

Senate Passes 2010 Proposed Supplemental Operating Budget

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Saturday the Senate passed their proposed 2010 supplemental operating budget (Substitute Senate Bill 6444). The budget passed with a vote of 25.19.

Four amendments were proposed to the 2010 supplemental operating budget.  Only one of the proposed amendments passed and was amended to the bill.

Amendment 036, proposed by Sen. Murray, deletes language creating a global health program and makes funding provided solely to implement the provisions of SSB 6675 (global health program). The amendment also states that if the bill is not enacted by June 30, 2010, the $1 million provided in the subsection will lapse.

The amendment adopted does not impact higher education nor did any of the amendments that were not adopted by the Senate.

The Senate’s proposed 2010 supplemental budget now moves to the House for further consideration.

Senate Ways and Means Hears Biomass Bill

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The Senate Ways & Means Committee met early this Saturday morning to hear a variety of bills and take action on several more.

The deadline for the Committee to consider House bills with a fiscal impact is end of day Monday, March 1.

As  a part of the public hearing process this morning , Evergreen testified in support of House Bill 2481. HB 2481 is a bill discussed often on this blog, but is worth further discussion because it looks different at this stage in the legislative process than it did earlier on. The bill would:

 
  • Allow Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to enter into contract terms up to 15 years when an entity plans and commits to a capital investment of at least $50 million prior to the contract and completes that investment before removal of biomass under the contract;
  • Allow DNR to include provisions in the agreement that are periodically adjusted for market conditions;
  • Require the contract to include provisions that allow DNR, when it is in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries, to maintain access to existing users of biomass;
  • Ensure that biomass volume conveyed under this act will not be counted toward DNR’s sustainable harvest target, except that appraised timber sold in a conventional timber sale will count toward the target whether individual trees are ultimately used by that purchaser for timber or biomass energy;
  • Remove wood from old growth forests from the definition of what is not included in forest biomass; and
  • Require DNR to conduct a survey of scientific literature regarding the carbon neutrality of forest biomass and report to the Legislature by December 15, 2010.

Evergreen believes that the passage of House Bill 2481 would provide the Washington Department of Natural Resources with the tools necessary to be a viable player in the emerging biomass industry and a potential partner with Evergreen as we move forward to construct our Biomass Gasification Project.

The Committee took no further action on the bill.