SENATE SENDS TO THE GOVERNOR THE TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER BILL
Substitute House Bill 2535, legislation which clarifies
state ethics laws to allow faculty members to contract with private
companies to promote technology transfer, was unanimously approved
by the state Senate Thursday and sent to Gov. Mike Lowry. The
legislation was strongly supported by the University of Washington
and Washington State University. UW considered the legislation
its highest priority in Olympia. WSU Provost Tom George testified
before legislative committees on the issue. The bill amends language
regarding faculty "beneficial interest" to allow for
university researchers to contract with private firms provided
federal guidelines and university policies are met. Sen. Betti
Sheldon, D-Bremerton, told members on the floor that current state
law is so restrictive it may prevent a Washington faculty member
from accepting a Nobel Prize. It also clarifies regulations regarding
university foundations. The same bill passed the House 96-0 on
Feb. 5.
SENATE APPROVES TRANSFER OF STATE ENERGY OFFICE
EMPLOYEES TO WSU
The state Senate voted today 43 - 6 for its version
of legislation closing the state energy office and transferring
about 40 of its employees to Washington State University. An
amendment approved on the Senate floor clarified that the WSU
employees are exempt staff. The issue of closing the energy office
has been heavily debated and rewritten, as the bill number would
imply: Fourth Substitute House Bill 2009. There`s
still work left to be done as the House version, which passed
80-17 on Feb. 12, and this Senate-passed version. They differ
on issues such as severance pay for some energy office employees
who are not transferring to other agencies. It now appears that
this legislation will turn out to be acceptable to WSU and help
us increase expertise in energy, which represents about $10 billion
of the state`s economy, according to Senate Energy, Telecommunications,
and Utilities Committee Chairman Dean Sutherland, D-Vancouver.
SENATE AMENDS AND APPROVES UW TECHNOLOGY FEE BILL
- 2SHB 2293
A bill authorizing institutions to charge up to $120
per year for a "technology fee" passed the state
Senate 40-9 today. Similar - but not identical - legislation passed
the state House of Representatives 89-8 on Feb. 8. The vote
seems to assure that some sort of technology fee will be available
to institutions next fall, however, WSU continues to be neutral
on the bill and its students have no plans to impose the fee.
Differences between the House and the Senate versions of the
bill still remain to be ironed out. Both bills require approval
of both the student government and the university to impose the
fee, however they differ in how the fee could be repealed. The
House bill requires the technology fee to be repealed within two
years of a student government decision to remove the fee. The
Senate bill would require the fee to be repealed the following
quarter or semester. The bill drew praise from many corners of
the Senate during the floor debate. But others complained that
the bill was a veiled tuition increase that allowed state government
to disregard its obligation to fully fund higher education. Sen.
Dean Sutherland, D-Vancouver, argued that it could put institutions
that don`t elect to impose the fee at a competitive disadvantage.
ëWHENî HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK AMONG
THE LAST BIG ISSUES - House Passes Bill
The state House of Representatives today passed its
versions of Engrossed Second Substitute Bill 6705, a plan for
implementing a telecommunications network linking the WSU ìWHETSî
system with all four-year institutions and community colleges
in the state. But there is substantially different language in
the Senate-passed version of the same bill, appearing to set up
a House-Senate conference committee to decide the differences
in the final days of the legislative session. Both House and
Senate versions appear to call for final technology decisions
to be approved by the Information Services Board, final academic
program decisions to be made by the state Higher Education Coordinating
Board, and release of a still undecided1996 supplemental budget
appropriation for the project.
WSU Fire Fighter Retirement Bill Passes Senate;
Sent to the Governor - SHB 2191
Legislation that will extend full state retirement
options to WSU firefighters was approved by the state Senate
today on a 45-1 vote. The bill passed the House 97-0 on Feb.
8. It provides for the admission of WSU fire fighters into the
Law Enforcement Officers` and Fire Fighters Retirement System
(LEOFF). WSU fire fighters are the only public fire fighters
in the state that arenít currently covered by this plan.
This permits some earlier retirement benefits afforded other
fire fighters which may help WSU efforts to recruit these employees.
This update is shared by broadcast fax and electronic
mail to friends of Washington State University as state government
developments occur. Contact Karen Fischer, WSU State-wide
Affairs, 509/335-6665. Larry Ganders is at 360/438-7552; Fax:
360/438-8104. Internet address is ganders@wsunix.wsu.edu. Visit
our web page at www.wsu.edu/IR/wsulegis/olympia.html.
