BILL REQ. #:  S-2151.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/25/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to creating a state college; adding a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW; creating new sections; providing a contingent effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A college in Snohomish county is established. The college must provide baccalaureate and graduate level higher education programs primarily to the citizens of Snohomish, Island, and Skagit counties under rules or guidelines adopted by the higher education coordinating board.
     (2) The priorities of the college shall be: (a) Preparing students for careers in high employer demand fields such as science, technology, and engineering; (b) preparing students for careers in clean energy, clean energy technology, sustainable energy and smart grid technologies, and green building design and architecture; and (c) developing an atmosphere of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development by encouraging relationships with the business community and providing on-campus or near-campus locations for the development of incubator projects and businesses.
     (3) The college shall provide upper division capacity for transfer students and may offer lower division courses linked to specific majors in fields not addressed at local community colleges. In addition, the college may also directly admit freshman and sophomores gradually and deliberately in accordance with the campus plan to be submitted to the higher education coordinating board. The college shall admit students through coadmission or coenrollment agreements with a community college emphasizing access for transfer students codeveloped by the college and the state board for community and technical colleges.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The legislature finds that as part of its planning work designed to support implementation of the strategic master plan for higher education, the higher education coordinating board, in collaboration with the state board for community and technical colleges, the council of presidents, the independent colleges of Washington, and other stakeholders, has initiated a system design planning project for the purpose of examining issues including, but not limited to, the following:
     (a) The structure of the current higher education delivery system and how that structure can be expanded and shaped over the next twenty years to best meet the needs of Washington citizens while optimizing the public investment in postsecondary education;
     (b) Strategies for applying an "expand on demand" planning principle intended to authorize new postsecondary educational resources when there is demonstrated demand and to ensure that new postsecondary educational resources that may become available contribute to and are in concert with all other parts of the existing system of higher education; and
     (c) Other issues as deemed appropriate by the higher education coordinating board.
     (2) The legislature finds that the results of the planning project in this section should inform policy decisions concerning the expansion of the higher education system and changes to the role and mission of existing parts of the higher education system.
     (3) The higher education coordinating board shall report the findings and recommendations of the system design planning project to the governor and the higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2009.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) Section 1 of this act takes effect July 1, 2010, only if:
     (a) A plan describing the proposed role and mission, academic program, and governance of any new campus, institution, or university center authorized by this act, or change in the mission of an existing campus, institution, or university center authorized by this act is submitted to the higher education coordinating board; and
     (b) The higher education coordinating board determines the plan described in (a) of this subsection is consistent with the findings and recommendations of the system design planning project in section 2 of this act.
     (2) By July 1, 2010, the higher education coordinating board shall notify appropriate committees of the legislature and the code reviser's office regarding whether section 1 of this act takes effect.
     (3) If the conditions in this section do not occur by July 1, 2010, section 1 of this act is null and void.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Section 2 of this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.