SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6496

BYSenators Lee, Thorsness, Moore and Rasmussen

Providing for basic literacy skills training.

Senate Committee on Economic Development & Labor

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 22, 1990

Senate Staff:Jack Brummel (786-7428)

AS OF JANUARY 19, 1990

BACKGROUND:

The estimates of illiteracy in Washington range from 13 to 23 percent, depending on how it is defined.  Using the ability to read and compute at a 10th grade level as a standard, 17 percent of adults in the state are estimated to be illiterate.  Only 40,000, or 7 percent, of these 568,000 illiterate adults take advantage of adult basic skills classes.

SUMMARY:

An advisory council on investment in human capital is created and directed to submit a state plan for increasing the literacy rate among adults in the state to 95 percent by the year 2000.  The council is also responsible for disbursing funds to individuals for basic skills training.  The council may make the funds available as scholarships or recoverable grants.  The basic skills training fund is created to supply the money disbursed by the council.  The fund consists of money collected by the Employment Security Department from each employer in the state at a rate of $1.00 per month for every 160 employee work hours.

The office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to develop a standardized test to measure basic literacy skills.  The State Board for Community College Education shall institute a basic skills diploma program, which will award diplomas to individuals passing the standardized test developed by SPI.

The maximum amount of wages taxed for unemployment insurance is reduced.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    yes

Fiscal Note:      requested