H-3966              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1337

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Rayburn, Nealey, Ballard, Chandler, Grant, Meyers, Baugher, Lewis, Kremen, Braddock, Bristow, Rasmussen, Doty and Smith

Read first time 1/13/88 and referred to Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development.

AN ACT Relating to financial and management counseling and instruction regarding agricultural operations; adding a new section to chapter 28B.15 RCW; creating a new section; making an appropriation; 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.15 RCW to read as follows:

          The boards of trustees of the community college districts may waive the tuition for persons who enroll in courses providing agricultural financial and management counseling and instruction.  The tuition may be waived in the following circumstances:

          (1) The person would qualify as a resident student under RCW 28B.15.012 and is the owner or operator of a farm and the person's principal occupation is that of a producer of an agricultural commodity or commodities;

          (2) The person demonstrates a financial need for the waiver; and

          (3) The counseling and instruction are for the financial management and related operational management of farms and a substantial portion of the counseling and instruction available to a person in such a course applies directly to the farm of the person.

          Tuition may be waived under the authority of this section for not more than one hundred full time equivalent students for the state system taken as a whole.  The authority granted by this section is in addition to any other authority of the boards to waive tuition for persons in such courses provided by other provisions of law including, but not limited to, any authority exercised under RCW 28B.15.502.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The state board for community college education shall establish a program for enhancing the financial and management counseling and instruction provided by the community colleges to owners and operators of farms.  The enhancement program shall provide funding to community colleges for:

          (a) Four additional full time equivalent staff positions within the state system for providing instruction or support for coursework which satisfies the description in section 1(3) of this act which shall include, but shall not be limited to, providing for the continuation of the farm business center established as a pilot project in the twentieth community college district;

          (b) Travel by farm management instructors for on-farm consultations;

          (c) Free workshops to explain the programs and assistance available to farmers;

          (d) Updating and revising curriculum materials used for farm counseling and instruction;

          (e) Computer and video equipment and software for improving on-site instruction and for permitting the use of telephone system transmitted computer data in support of farm counseling and instruction;

          (f) Production of short video presentations of concepts important to farm management needs state-wide and related materials; and

          (g) Student use of district computers in conjunction with the existing and enhanced farm counseling and instruction programs.

          The board may provide funding to the community colleges for such other support of the existing agricultural financial and management counseling and instruction programs offered by the community colleges as the board deems appropriate.

          (2) The sum of three hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the state board for community college education for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, to carry out the purposes of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.