Thursday, March 5 marked the halfway point of
this 105-day session and the next cutoff date is just around the corner. Bills
must be voted out of their originating chamber by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11
to move forward in the legislative process. The only exemptions are budget bills and bills considered
"necessary to implement the budget."
Along with higher education bills, the House
and Senate have taken votes on sweeping measures with a statewide impact. The
Senate approved a broad transportation package, while the House approved
legislation to increase the minimum wage and expand paid sick leave
requirements to more businesses.
House, Senate pass community and
technical college-request bills
At the time this blog was posted, the
following community and technical college-request bills were making their way
through the Legislative process:
Fee
waiver for active duty military
HB 1706, prime-sponsored by
Rep. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), passed the House on a unanimous vote Monday
(97-0-1). The bill and its companion SB 5620
(passed the Senate 49-0), prime-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Bailey
(R-Oak Harbor), would grant permissive waivers for building and student
activity fees for active duty military. Due to a recent change to the
Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance Program, only tuition is covered for
students, but not the associated fees. Students using the assistance program to
attend college need to make up the difference in costs.
Statutory clean-up
HB 1961, prime-sponsored by
Rep. Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup), passed the house unanimously Monday (97-0-1).
The bill’s Senate companion, SB 5977,
prime-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Bailey (R-Oak Harbor), passed that chamber on
a unanimous vote Wednesday (49-0). The bills would expire old bonds, defund
programs, pilots, and waivers within the community and technical college system
to improve efficiency and streamline provisions within state statutes.
Corrections
education
HB 1704, prime-sponsored by
Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle), is on the House Floor Calendar awaiting a
vote. The bill would allow community and technical colleges to provide
associate degrees in corrections institutions. Currently, CTCs partner with the
Department of Corrections to provide basic skills and vocational training to
help offenders be job-ready when they re-enter society. The bill has no fiscal
impact as this work will be part of the existing educational contract.
Other
bills important to the community and technical college system are also moving
through the legislative process:
Coming
up this week
Committee hearings on bills related to higher
education will take a temporary hiatus in the beginning of this week as the
House and Senate focus on floor voting in time for the Wednesday, March 11
cutoff. Committees may resume hearings on higher education bills, although the
committee agendas are still in flux.