Governor’s bill signing/vetoing process
may continue through
Saturday
The governor’s bill veto and signing process continues through this week. By Saturday, the results of the 2002 Legislature’s actions on higher education will be known. It appears the suspense will continue to the final hours as the governor has not yet decided whether to veto funding designed to recruit and retain top university faculty in a year when pay increases were made available only to community college faculty. The governor’s budget office has suggested the provision should be vetoed to make up for revenues that were never provided by the Legislature to balance the budget. At stake is $1.7 million for WSU. The provision is stuck in Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6387, the supplemental operating budget.
Bill adding student to the Higher Education Coordinating Board signed. House Bill 2841, which adds a tenth member to the Higher Education Coordinating Board has been signed into law by Governor Locke. The bill requires one member of the board to now be a four-year college student. The student member has a one-year term starting from the first day of July until his or her successor is appointed. The measure passed each house overwhelmingly and was endorsed by the HEC Board. Now on the governor’s desk is Senate Bill 6557, which gives the authority to the board to select its chair and vice chair. Currently, the chair is selected directly by the governor who had chosen Costco Executive Bob Craves. This bill will not impact Craves as it takes effect for the next board chair.
Budget study directed at HEC Board. The HEC Board is also the subject of one of four college studies contained in the supplemental operating budget which has not yet been signed by the governor and may be under his review. Section 608 (11) of the budget directs the Institute of Public Policy at The Evergreen State College to “review the mission and operations” of the board. It directs that the study shall include an evaluation of the board’s role and current practices in “policy setting, evaluation, review and approval of higher education programs and budgets, and administration of financial aid programs.” Budget language requires the institute to work with legislators and submit findings to legislative committees by Dec. 12.
Legislature evaluates branch campuses. Another key study directed by the budget has the same institute reviewing the branch campuses of the state’s research institutions. The budget language directs an examination of the original 14-year old mission of the campuses which includes WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities, WSU Vancouver, UW Tacoma and UW Bothell. The study language specifically asks the institute to look at “the extent key factors that led to the creation of branch campuses have changed, including student demographics, demand for and availability of upper division higher education, and local or state labor markets.” The budget states that, “the study shall also include a range of policy options the Legislature could consider regarding branch campuses.” A preliminary report is required by December with a final report due June 30, 2003. WSU was supportive of the study, as it has its own evaluation underway through the university’s strategic planning process.
Other studies.
The institute was also charged for carrying out two other studies. One is to conduct research to recommend the criteria, processes and institutional arrangements for proven “best practices” that could be identified for intervention and prevention programs focused on youth at risk. WSU 4-H officials are hopeful the study will include a look at their curriculum for preventing criminal activity among youth. A fourth study deals with drug offender sentencing.
University sabotage bill signed into law.
Second Substitute House Bill 1938 states that a court may consider imposing a sentence above the standard range when the court finds that the defendant committed an act against university research. The penalty is imposed if the criminal intentionally obstructed or impaired human health care, animal health care, agricultural research, forestry research, or commercial production. The bill was a reaction to the fire-bombing of the University of Washington’s Morrill Hall, which also housed offices of WSU Cooperative Extension. WSU successfully worked for language which not only covers university buildings but research plots on private farms and forests.
Promise
scholarship legislation
has been
approved
by the
governor.
House
Bill 2807
provides for $6.3 million for up to $1,000 per student per year in “Promise Scholarships.” The scholarships are awarded to the top 15 percent of high school graduates who score at least 1,200 on their fist SAT attempt. It is the first time that the Promise program has been enacted into statute.
Supporters,
including
the
governor,
believe
this will
make it a
"permanent"
program,
rather
than one
that is
renewed
each year
by the
Legislature.
Climate bill gets partial veto but WSU provisions retained. The governor has partially vetoed, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2326, establishing a WSU Climate and Energy Center. The governor found one section of the bill to “inhibit academic freedom” and vetoed that section. The governor, however, left standing portions of the bill designating WSU extension staff in Olympia as the state’s experts in global warming and climate change. WSU had supported the bill in its entirety and did not seek the partial veto.
Governor to act on bargaining bills. Other legislation still not decided by the governor includes House Bill 2403, collective bargaining for 4-year faculty, which currently requires abolishment of the faculty senate to collectively bargain. Wednesday, the governor is expected to sign Substitute House Bill 1268, the sweeping classified employee bargaining bill.
This update is shared by broadcast fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as government developments occur. Contact Kevin Ketchie, WSU Government Relations specialist, 509/335-6292 to be added to the list. Call Larry Ganders at 360-956-2165; From WSU Campuses, Dial 8-2165. E-mail:
Ganders@energy.wsu.edu. To send
Larry an e-mail page at the capitol, write to Ganders@My2way.com.
Contact Jane Yung Dennie
at 425-373-9090. For federal issues, contact Kristi Growdon at 206-219-2424. For state bill status, budget updates, and other government info, visit our web page at
www.olympia.wsu.edu. Improvements have
recently been made in bill status tracking. Just go to our page and click on
"Status" in the left hand column.
