FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1196

                         C 156 L 91

                     Synopsis As Enacted

Brief Description:  Establishing the Washington state center for environmental and molecular sciences at Washington State University/Tri‑Cities.

By House Committee on Energy & Utilities (originally sponsored by Representatives Bray, Neher, Jacobsen, Ludwig, Grant, Nealey, Rayburn, Inslee and G. Fisher).

House Committee on Energy & Utilities

Senate Committee on Energy & Utilities

Background:  In 1989, the Legislature assigned Washington State University (WSU) responsibility for meeting the upper-division and graduate education needs of Tri-Cities residents and directed WSU to operate a branch campus in the Tri-Cities area.  The branch campus replaced the Tri-Cities University Center, a center that served the federal government's Hanford operation, Hanford contractors, and Tri-Cities residents.

Recently, the U. S. Department of Energy designated Battelle's Pacific Northwest Laboratory in the Tri-Cities as the Center for Environmental Excellence and as its Molecular Science Center.  The department also designated the Hanford Site as the focus of waste management and environmental restoration efforts.

Summary:  By November 1, 1991 Washington State University (WSU) must submit a proposal to the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) for the development of a center for environmental and molecular sciences at Washington State University/Tri-Cities.

The purposes of the proposed center include coordinating the relationship of the university with federal research efforts in the Tri-Cities area, and initiating collaborative research efforts with Hanford contractors and staff.  The center must be designed to: develop upper-division and graduate instructional programs in environmental assessment and remediation technology, and in molecular sciences with the approval of the HECB; develop expertise necessary to assist in technology transfer; foster strong, cooperative relationships with governmental agencies and businesses interested in hazardous waste and molecular science research and development; ensure that expertise from all Washington universities and colleges is available to aid federal research efforts;  and, ensure that the State and its institutions of higher education are able to benefit from those efforts.

The HECB must review the proposal and evaluate its policy and fiscal aspects.  The board must review the proposed center's role and mission within the context of the development plan for WSU's branch campuses.  By February 1, 1992 the board must recommend to the governor and the Legislature whether to establish a Washington State Center for Environmental and Molecular Sciences.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  97   0

Senate 45   0

Effective:    July 28, 1991