Title: An act relating to terms of appointment of student regents and trustees.

Brief Description: Revising terms of appointment of student regents and trustees.

Sponsors: Senators McAuliffe, Schmidt, Pridemore, Schoesler, Shin and Kohl-Welles.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education: 1/20/06, 1/26/06 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING, K-12 & HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Pridemore, Vice Chair, Higher Education; Weinstein, Vice Chair, Early Learning & K-12; Schmidt, Ranking Minority Member; Carrell, Delvin, Eide, Kohl-Welles, Pflug, Rasmussen, Rockefeller, Schoesler and Shin.

Staff: Stephanie Yurcisin (786-7438)

Background: Each public college and university in Washington has a Board of Regents, and each Board of Regents has one student member. The appointment of the student member occurs yearly in May. Under current law, the term of office for the student member is for one year beginning June 1st until his or her successor is appointed and qualified.

Summary of Bill: The one year term of office for the student member on the Boards of Regents for the public colleges and universities is changed to run from July first until the first day of July of the following year, or until his or her successor is appointed and qualified, whichever is later.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Testimony For: This bill makes a small technical adjustment to allow the student trustee's tenure to be better aligned with the timing of the budget vote that occurs in June. The budget is the most important issue that the student trustee has to vote on, and shifting the tenure such that it begins in July makes this the final, not the first, issue on which the student trustee votes. This will allow the student trustee to take a more active and informed role on the Board of Regents.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Nick Cizic, Associate Students of Western Washington & Student Lobby; Jayne Kaszynski, The Evergreen State College.

CON: No one.