The Washington Legislature must move all bills, unless necessary to implement the budget, from one chamber to the other by close of business on March 11.

After a week of floor action, the Senate and House have the weekend and the first half of next week to continue to advance legislation to the opposite chamber.  Both have worked long hours all week to move several bills forward ranging from legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage to a transportation budget package to recognizing March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day.

Several bills that directly impact higher education have passed this latest hurdle.

• HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.
• HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.
• HB 1138: Creates a task force on mental health and suicide prevention in higher education.
• HB 1236: Allows certain school personnel to witness a student’s college bound scholarship pledge if the student’s parent or guardian is unavailable.
• HB 1238: Requires the Washington Student Achievement Council to report to the Legislature by Decemer 15, 2016, regarding the affordability of the higher education system.
• HB 1439: Establishes an online alternative credit model at Central Washington University.
• HB 1532: Concerns budget submissions for capital design and construction at institutions of higher education.
• HB 1570: Creates flexibility for the educator retooling conditional scholarship program.
• HB 1644: Concerning veteran survivor tuition waiver eligibility.
• HB 1696:  Removes tuition-setting authority from higher education institutions.
• HB 1706: Authorizes waivers of building fees and services and activities fees for certain military service members.
• HB 1863: Modifies collective bargaining law related to providing additional compensation for academic employees at community and technical colleges.
• HB 1961:  A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges.
• SB 5133: Concerning a study of higher education cost drivers.
• SB 5295: Concerning the display of campus information on the statewide public four-year dashboard.
• SB 5318: Establishes a wildlife college student loan program.
• SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.
• SB 5518: Creates procedures to address campus sexual violence.
• SB 5638: Students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least three quarter credits, or the equivalent semester hours, in a qualifying higher education program are eligible for the State Need Grant.
• SB 5719: Creates a task force on campus sexual violence prevention.
• SB 5851:  Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.

Today was the first day the Washington Senate and House gathered on their respective floors to begin deliberation on legislation. Both chambers have until the end of day on March 11 to move bills to the opposite chamber.

With regard to higher education a few bills were advanced today. Among those moving over to the other chamber included:

HB 1961 : A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges

HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.

HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.

The appropriation committees in the House and Senate kicked off the week with long sessions of public hearings on dozens of bills.  Friday, March 27 marks another major deadline in the legislative process. Bills that have been moved to an appropriations committee in either the House or the Senate must have moved from the committee to the floor by the end of the day.

The Senate Ways & Means Committee heard several higher education related bills this afternoon, including:

• SB 5954: Creates the College Affordability Program (CAP). Removes tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students for the public baccalaureate institutions. Beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, tuition fees for resident undergraduates must be no more than the following: for community and technical colleges, 6 percent of the state’s average wage; for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College, 10 percent of the state’s average wage; and for the research universities, 14 percent of the state’s average wage. Beginning with the 2015-17 operating budget, the Legislature must appropriate to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and each four-year institution of higher education an amount that is at least equal to the total state funds appropriated in the 2013-15 biennium plus the reduction in revenues from resident undergraduate tuition operating fees received for the 2015-17 fiscal biennium under this act, adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the dollar value of the building fee must not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year, adjusted for inflation.
• SB 5851: Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.
• SB 5561: A child of a veteran or National Guard member is eligible for a full tuition waiver at a Washington State institution of higher education if one of the child’s parents became totally disabled as a result of active service, was a prisoner of war, or lost their life as a result of serving in active duty, and the child: is a Washington domiciliary between the age of 17 and 26; or meets one of eight federal requirements for receiving education assistance.
• SB 5547: SNG recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for renewal, unless the student attends The Evergreen State College (TESC). Students enrolled at TESC must meet the requirements of the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy to remain
  eligible for the SNG program.
• SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

The House Appropriations committee is expected to take up a handful of higher education bills tomorrow including:

• HB 1546: Makes change to the dual credit opportunities provided by Washington’s public institutions of higher education.
• HB 1825: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.