AN ACT Relating to safety in public school buildings; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds it to be in the public interest that all public school buildings be seismically safe for occupancy by students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The legislature declares it to be public policy to implement a process to develop a policy framework relating to seismic safety issues in the public school system, to develop a means for coordinating earthquake-related programs of state, county, and local governmental agencies with local school districts, and to develop a program to identify any public school building which is unsafe and to repair, rehabilitate, or discontinue use of that building for school purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall conduct the study under section 3 of this act. In conducting the study the superintendent shall work in cooperation with the state building code advisory council and shall seek assistance and advice from representatives from the following groups or fields:

(a) The state board of education;

(b) School directors;

(d) School principals;

(e) Teachers;

(f) Parent groups;

(g) The field of architecture and planning;

(h) The field of fire protection;

(i) The field of public utilities;

(j) The field of electrical and mechanical engineering;

(k) The field of structural engineering;

(l) The field of soils engineering;

(m) The field of geology;

(n) The field of seismology;

(o) The field of insurance;

(p) The field of social service;

(q) Emergency services;

(r) Cities; and

(s) Counties; and

(2) In addition, the superintendent of public instruction shall report on the progress of the study to, and involve in the development of recommendations, two members from the senate and house of representatives committees on education who shall represent each political party of the senate and the house of representatives and who shall be respectively appointed by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The superintendent of public instruction shall undertake a study to:

(1) Systematically gather data on the number of public school buildings in the state; the number of public school buildings constructed prior to 1965; the number of public school buildings constructed during or after 1965; a listing of the number of public school buildings in various construction design categories; the number of public school buildings by school district which have been inspected for seismic stability since 1980 and what funds were used to provide for the inspections; the number of school districts that have or plan to implement renovation, repair, or rehabilitation programs and what funds will be used to pay for planned renovations, repairs, or rehabilitation; and the number of school districts with earthquake insurance and the availability of such insurance. The superintendent shall also analyze the cost of necessary repairs or rehabilitation of buildings needing such repairs or rehabilitation.

(2) Review and make recommendations for improving the development and implementation of technically and economically feasible codes, standards, and procedures for the design and construction of new public school buildings and the strengthening of existing public school buildings so as to increase the earthquake resistance of all public school buildings and particularly those buildings located in areas of significant seismic hazard.

(3) Review and recommend methods, practices, and procedures to educate local school officials about the nature and consequences of earthquakes, about procedures for identifying those district facilities especially susceptible to earthquake damage, and about ways to reduce and mitigate the adverse effects of an earthquake.

(4) Set goals and priorities for the state's public school system in connection with earthquake hazard reduction.

(5) Develop and recommend a plan to implement a comprehensive program of earthquake hazard reduction for the state's common school system.

The superintendent of public instruction shall submit the findings of the study and proposed legislation or recommendations to the legislature not later than January 1, 1987.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Implementation of this act shall be subject to funds being appropriated or available for the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act shall expire January 1, 1987.