Tag Archives: state legislature

2011 Legislative Session: Week 10

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Next week will be filled with a mix of work sessions and committee hearings primarily on bills from the opposite chamber and on a handful of bills that are deemed necessary to implement the budget.

Several bills that may impact higher education are scheduled for a public hearing next week including legislation that would provide regulatory relief for higher education institutions and alter the current retire/rehire practice for higher education employees.

In addition a public hearing is scheduled on SB 5717 which would implement the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force Recommendations and an executive session is scheduled on SB 5182, which would restructure higher education in Washington. In addition, a work session on higher education funding in House Ways & Meansis also scheduled. Please see the links below for a list of all the hearings that might be of interest.

Also next week the State revenue forecast will be released on March 17. It is expected that the forecast will soon be followed by the release of the first biennial budget. The House writes a budget first this year and the earliest we may catch a glimpse of it is March 21. 

However this may change if the revenue forecast is significantly large and increases the $4.6 billion gap for the 2011-13 operating budget. Originally lawmakers were hearing an additional shortfall of $500 million; estimates are now creeping up to the $2 billion mark. In that case proposed budgets may not be released until a week later (Week of March 28).

Washington Policy Committees Hear Impact of Potential Budget Reductions in Higher Education

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The Washington House and Senate policy committees on higher education heard from institutions and students about the consequences that lie ahead if state funding is reduced.

In December the Governor released a proposed operating budget for the four-year, public baccalaureate institutions that if implemented will have reduced state funding by 50% for these institutions in the last three years.

In February the four-year, public baccalaureate institutions were asked to provide potential impacts if state funding was reduced beyond the Governor’s proposed budget by an additional 15% and 30%.  It is the potential consequences of the loss of state funding at these levels that prompted the work sessions this morning in the House and this afternoon in the Senate.

Mike Reilly – Executive Director, Council of Presidents – presented an overview of the impact of the proposed budget models on the four-year, public baccalaureate sector.

According to the Council of Presidents,  the loss of state funding under consideration would drastically alter higher education in Washington sector-wide.

  • Reduced access for resident undergraduates (up to 3,000 slots under the Governor’s cut level alone and up to 10,000 at the higher reduction levels)
  • Fewer slots in STEM and other high-demand degree programs
  • Increased time to degree (each additional term costs students $6,000-$8,000)
  • Large increases in tuition
  • Loss of thousands of jobs, less student support

The Evergreen State College was represented by Ken Tabbutt, Interim Provost and Julie Garver, Director of Government Relations. Tabbutt expressed what is at stake not only for the state but for Evergreen students and for the College’s local and regional economies.

Committee Hears Bill that Would Provide Greater Stability for Some Financial Aid Programs

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This week committees in both chambers held public hearings and work sessions in preparation for the next legislative deadline (March 25 for policy bills) and the development of the biennial budgets.

This afternoon the House Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on a bill that would provide greater stability for Washington citizens who are eligible for the College Bound Scholarship Program and the State Need Grant.

Senate Bill 5304 would require the Caseload Forecast Council to forecast the anticipated number of students eligible for the State Need Grant and the College Bound Scholarship programs who are also expected to attend an institution of higher education. These forecasts would be submitted to the Governor and the members of the legislative fiscal committees to  facilitate budget development.

The Washington Caseload Forecast Council is responsible for developing forecasts for the changing caseloads in state entitlement programs. Currently, the caseload forecast includes the demand for services in health and human services, K-12 education, and corrections.

The Evergreen State College testified in support of SB 5304.

Legislature Passes Another Major Deadline

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Monday March 7 marked a major deadline for bills to pass out of the chamber where they originated to remain under consideration this session. The exceptions to this cutoff are bills that have been or will be designated NTIB or “necessary to implement the budget”.

A handful of bills that would impact higher education were moved forward in the process and many more were left on the calendar.

For the next few weeks, House and Senate policy committees will take public testimony on bills that have already met the major hurdle of passing the chamber where they started. 

The next major deadline is March 25 when policy bills must be passed out of committee. It will be busy between now and then as legislators try to address remaining concerns about bills, change legislation to fit their vision of what constitutes a “good” bill, or put bills aside for this session.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 9

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With floor action scheduled to end at 5:00 pm on Monday March 7 the majority of next week’s schedule will be a mix of work sessions and committee hearings on bills that have passed the March 7 deadline.

Several bills remain in Rules and on the floor calendar in both chambers which means committee agendas are expected to change frequently between now and next Tuesday.

At this time next week’s schedule includes a work session in each chamber’s higher education policy committee regarding the policy impacts of budget cuts on baccalaureate institutions. In addition, a handful of bills have been scheduled for public hearings. Please see the links below for a list of all the hearings that might be of interest.

Senate and House Work Long Hours to Move Bills as March 7 Deadline Nears

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The House and Senate kept a steady pace today and will work through the weekend to meet the March 7 deadline to pass legislation from the chamber where bills were first introduced.

The Evergreen State College is continuing to track approximately 100 bills, these bills and others can be found at the Legislature’s website.

Several bills that would impact higher education are moving through the process including legislation that would reform the Guaranteed Education Tuition program, require forecast caseloads for the State Need Grant and the Washington College Bound Scholarship Program, and academic prior learning.

Several Bills Still Active After Second Deadline in Legislature

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Several bills failed to make the legislative fiscal deadline. The next deadline – March 7 – requires all bills to move from their chamber of origin to the opposite chamber unless the bill is deemed “necessary to implement the budget” or NTIB and is not subject to the deadline.

The Evergreen State College is continuing to track approximately 100 bills, these bills and others can be found at the Legislature’s website.

As  a reminder committees will begin meeting again on March 8 through March 25 for policy bills, and for another week on fiscal matters. April 12 is the last day to consider bills introduced in the opposite chamber.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 8

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This week the Legislature will turn its focus to the chamber floors.

On Friday, the Legislature passed another major deadline requiring all fiscal related bills to move from an appropriation committee to the floor.

With that in mind, this week’s schedule includes limited committee meetings with most of the time spent on the House and Senate floor as another major deadline looms.

Both the House and the Senate must move bills from the chamber in which the legislation originated to the opposite chamber by end of day March 7.

Fiscal Committees Move Legislation

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This Friday marks the second major deadline of the session. All bills referred to fiscal committees in both chambers must have moved to the floor by end of day on February 25.

In preparation for this looming deadline all of the appropriation committees in the Senate and the House were busy today hearing and moving bills forward in the process.

House Higher Education Appropriations

The House Higher Education Appropriations Committee took action on two bills that would impact higher education.

House Bill 1849 creates the Washington State Education Council (Council). The overall mission of th Council is to: provide strategic oversight and advocacy of public education, including early learning, K-12 education in the common schools, and postsecondary education; and recommend policies and strategies to make the public education system student-focused and able to provide seamless service delivery across all sectors.

The substitute bill passed by the Committee revises the mission of the Council to focus on recommending policies, strategies and a governance structure for the public education system and makes the Council temporary, expiring the provision on  June 30, 2013. 

 In addition, the substitute revises the Legislative intent that guides the Council’s Transition Plan: to establish a primary strategic oversight and advocacy board for the public education system and consolidate supervision over matters pertaining to the public education system within a primary state agency.

House Bill 1808 requires all public high schools in the state to work toward the goal of offering a sufficient number of high school courses to give students the opportunity to earn the equivalent of one year’s worth of postsecondary credit and must inform students and their families about these opportunities. In addition, the bill requires institutions of higher education to develop a master list of postsecondary courses that can be fulfilled, for lower division general education requirements, by achieving an agreed-upon score on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other recognized college-level proficiency exams or by meeting demonstrated competencies.

The substitute bill passed by the Committee clarifies language to include career and technical education and provides language to ensure institutions of higher education who provide an alternative approach to teaching and learning are encompassed.

Senate Ways & Means

The Senate Ways & Means Committee took action on two bills that would provide for regulatory relief for institutions of higher education.

Senate Bill 5268 would remove the exisiting requirement for approval by the Director of the Office of Financial Management with regard to meetings of members in any of the five classification groups associated with part-time boards and commissions affiliated with institutions of higher education. In addition, the bill would exempt institutions of higher education from the restrictions on personal service contracts, equipment acquisition, travel, and employment.

Senate Bill 5519 modifies public contracting limits and procedures.

Both Senate Bill 5519 and 5268 now move to Senate Rules.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 7

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This week the Legislature will turn its focus to the appropriation committees.

The appropriation committees in each chamber will hold public hearings and executive sessions as legislators turn their attention to acting on bills by a February 25th self-imposed deadline.

This week’s schedule includes conversations on postretirement issues; efficiency and regulatory relief bills; governance; and financial aid. Please see the links below for a list of all the hearings that may be of interest.