Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Higher Education Committee

HB 2841

Brief Description:  Requiring a student member on the higher education coordinating board.

Sponsors:  Representatives Chase, Cox, Kenney, Jarrett, Fromhold, Lysen, Edwards, Upthegrove, Rockefeller, Haigh, Esser and McDermott.

Brief Summary of Bill

$The Governor is required to appoint at least one student to the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The student member is appointed for a one-year term.

Hearing Date:  2/8/02

Staff:  Antonio Sanchez (786‑7383).

Background:

The Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) was created by the Legislature in 1985 and came into being in January 1986 as the successor agency to the Council for Post Secondary Education.

Composition: The board is made up of nine citizen members, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.  Board members serve four‑year terms and may be reappointed for a total of two terms.  The board chair serves at the pleasure of the Governor.

Principal Functions:  The purpose of the board is to provide planning, coordination, monitoring, and policy analysis for higher education in the state of Washington in cooperation and consultation with the institutions autonomous governing boards and with all other segments of post secondary education, including but not limited to the State Board for Community College Education and the Commission for Vocational Education.

In addition to developing the state's higher education Master Plan, the board has been assigned other significant policy studies by the Legislature.  Other HECB responsibilities include branch campus land acquisition and planning coordination; monitoring/coordination of assessment activities; health professions resource planning; distinguished professorship endowments and graduate fellowship endowments programs; and involvement with the planning and coordination of the K‑20 telecommunications network.

State Financial Aid:

Chief among the operational programs administered by the board is state financial aid program for students attending public and independent higher education institutions. HECB‑administered financial aid programs include the following:  State Need Grant, State Work Study, Educational Opportunity Grant, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, Washington Scholars, American Indian Endowed Scholarship, Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program, Community Scholarships Matching Grants, Paul Fowler Scholarship, Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence, Aid to Blind Students, and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Scholarships.

Summary of Bill:

The Governor is required to appoint at least one student to the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The board is required to maintain a minimum of one student board member.  The student member is appointed for a one-year term.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.