HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 2413

As Amended by the Senate

BYRepresentatives Wood, Rector, Locke, Prince, Ebersole, Dellwo, Miller, Anderson, Jacobsen, Peery, Wineberry, Day, Winsley, Brumsickle, Wolfe, P. King, Wang, Forner, Horn, Youngsman, May, Kremen and Ferguson

Including middle and junior high school students in the mathematics, engineering, and science achievement program.

House Committe on Higher Education

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  (12)

      Signed by Representatives Jacobsen, Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Van Luven, Ranking Republican Member; Basich, Bennett, Doty, Fraser, Heavey, Jesernig, Miller, Prince and Rector.

House Staff:Susan Hosch (786-7120)

Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended by Committee on Higher Education.  (26)

      Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member, Youngsman, Assistant Ranking Republican Member; Appelwick, Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Dorn, Doty, Ebersole, Ferguson, Hine, Inslee, McLean, Nealey, Padden, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Wang and Wineberry.

House Staff:      Sherie Story (786-7142)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 12, 1990

BACKGROUND:

A report by the Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and Technology indicates that by the year 2010, the United States will face a shortage of 560,000 technicians in science and engineering.  Of the new people entering the labor market between 1985 and 2000, most will be women, immigrants, and minorities. Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans will constitute more than one-third of the future college-age population.  The National Science Foundation points out that if minority populations are not trained early for high-tech careers, industry and colleges will be forced to become dependent on foreign-born students and faculty.

Only two major programs are available in this state to nurture minority students talented in math and science.  The oldest is the University of Washington's Minority Engineering Program.  The other is the Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program for students in the ninth through twelfth grades.  In partnership with higher education institutions, school districts, businesses, and community organizations, MESA provides after-school and Saturday classes, group science projects and regular field trips to high-tech factories and university campuses.  More than 90 percent of the MESA students go on to college and two-thirds of the college bound-students pursue studies in science or engineering.

In 1989, the focus of the program was expanded to encourage minority students to enter the teaching profession in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and science.

SUMMARY:

The mathematics, engineering, and science achievement program will expand its focus to include students in the sixth through eighth grades, as well as those in the ninth through twelfth grades.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENTS:  Unless funding for the purposes of this legislation is included in the supplemental budget by June 30, 1990, the legislation is null and void.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 16, 1990.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (Higher Education)  Patricia MacGowan, MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement); Bonnie Wright, MESA-Weyerhaeuser; Megan McCarthy, Jason Lee Middle School; Tony Rodriguez, MESA student; and Judy Turpin, Washington Women United.

(Appropriations)  No one.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (Higher Education)  No one.

(Appropriations)  No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (Higher Education)  The MESA program helps prepare minority students to become members of a skilled, highly paid workforce.  The program is an example of a successful public/private partnership effort to decrease the high drop out rate of minority students.  Through its efforts, students are exposed to resources and incentives that will help them succeed in mathematics, engineering, and the sciences.  However, research indicates that if a seventh grade student does not take the right preparatory classes, there is a 92 percent chance that the student will not major in the sciences or engineering. The program needs to expand into junior high and middle schools in order to ensure that students are adequately prepared to take high school mathematics and science courses.

(Appropriations)  None.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (Higher Education)  None.

(Appropriations)  None.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Yeas 98