SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5699

               As Passed Senate, March 10, 1995

Title:  An act relating to international student exchange visitor placement organizations.

Brief Description:  Revising provisions relating to international student exchange visitor placement organizations.

Sponsors:  Senators Fraser, Prince and Rasmussen; by request of Secretary of State.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  2/17/95, 2/24/95 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/10/95, 44-1.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Pelz, Vice Chair; Finkbeiner, Gaspard, Hochstatter, Johnson and Rasmussen.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background:  Under current law, all international student exchange visitor placement organizations that place students in public schools must register with the Secretary of State.  However, the secretary has no duty to distribute the information to school districts.

Summary of Bill:  The Secretary of State must annually provide the Superintendent of Public Instruction a list of all currently registered international student placement organizations.  The superintendent must distribute that list to all state school districts.

A placement organization must renew its registration each year.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This is a clean-up bill to clarify standards for placement organizations that place international exchange students.  The standards ensure that international exchange students are protected, because they are placed through reputable organizations.  It has been unclear whether the Superintendent of Public Instruction should distribute the list of registered organizations to school districts.  This clarifies that the list should be distributed by the Superintendent.  It also clarifies that an organization must renew its registration by a set date before the school year begins, so that the schools have the most current information when placing international exchange students.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator Fraser, prime sponsor; Larry Strickland, OSPI; Michelle Burkheimer, Office of Secretary of State.