BILL REQ. #:  S-3546.1 

Read first time 01/15/10.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to modifying the budget recommendations developed by the higher education coordinating board to include recommendations on tuition and fees; and amending RCW 28B.76.210.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.76.210 and 2008 c 205 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The board shall collaborate with the four-year institutions including the council of presidents, the community and technical college system, and when appropriate the workforce training and education coordinating board, the superintendent of public instruction, and the independent higher educational institutions to identify budget priorities and levels of funding for higher education, including the two and four-year institutions of higher education and state financial aid programs. It is the intent of the legislature that recommendations from the board reflect not merely the sum of budget requests from multiple institutions, but prioritized funding needs for the overall system of higher education.
     (2) By December of each odd-numbered year, the board shall distribute guidelines which outline the board's fiscal priorities to the institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges.
     (a) The institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges shall submit an outline of their proposed operating budgets to the board no later than July 1st of each even-numbered year. Pursuant to guidelines developed by the board, operating budget outlines submitted by the institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges after January 1, 2007, shall include all policy changes and enhancements that will be requested by the institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges in their respective biennial budget requests and shall include proposed tuition and fee rates for the two-year period covered by the next biennial operating budget. Operating budget outlines shall include a description of each policy enhancement, the dollar amount requested, and the fund source being requested.
     (b) Capital budget outlines for the two-year institutions shall be submitted by August 15th of each even-numbered year, and shall include the prioritized ranking of the capital projects being requested, a description of each capital project, and the amount and fund source being requested.
     (c) Capital budget outlines for the four-year institutions must be submitted by August 15th of each even-numbered year, and must include: The institutions' priority ranking of the project; the capital budget category within which the project will be submitted to the office of financial management in accordance with RCW 43.88D.010; a description of each capital project; and the amount and fund source being requested.
     (d) The office of financial management shall reference these reporting requirements in its budget instructions.
     (3) The board shall review and evaluate the operating and capital budget requests and proposed tuition and fee rates from four-year institutions and the community and technical college system based on how the requests align with the board's budget priorities, the missions of the institutions, performance agreements adopted pursuant to RCW 28B.10.922, per-student funding goals developed pursuant to RCW 28B.15.068, and the statewide strategic master plan for higher education under RCW 28B.76.200.
     (4) The board shall submit recommendations on the proposed operating budget and priorities to the office of financial management by October 1st of each even-numbered year, and to the legislature by January 1st of each odd-numbered year. The board's capital budget recommendations for the community and technical college system and the four-year institutions must be submitted to the office of financial management by November 15th of each even-numbered year and to the legislature by January 1st of each odd-numbered year. The board's recommendations for the four-year institutions must include the relative share of the higher education capital budget that the board recommends be assigned to each project category, as defined in RCW 43.88D.010, and to minor works program and preservation.
     (5) Institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges shall submit any supplemental budget requests and revisions and any proposed changes to tuition and fee rates to the board at the same time they are submitted to the office of financial management. The board shall submit recommendations on the proposed supplemental budget requests and tuition and fee rates to the office of financial management by November 1st and to the legislature by January 1st.