SENATE BILL REPORT

ESSB 5545

BYSenate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Smitherman and Saling)

Establishing the state board for vocational education.

Senate Committee on Higher Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 15, 1989; January 25, 1990; January 29, 1990

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5545 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Saling, Chairman; Bauer, Cantu, Smitherman, Stratton, von Reichbauer.

Senate Staff:Shawn Newman (786-7443)

                  March 2, 1990

House Committe on Higher Education

AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 12, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Pursuant to the Sunset Act, the Commission for Vocational Education and its powers and duties were repealed on June 30, 1987.  The Governor, through a series of executive orders, created the State Board for Vocational Education to assume those powers and duties.  The board serves as the sole state agency for receipt and allocation of federal vocational funds under the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act and administers the federal Job Training Partnership Act's Eight Percent Education, Coordination and Grants program.  The board also administers the state Job Skills program and the state Private Vocational School Licensing Act, and approves vocational programs for recipients of veterans benefits.

SUMMARY:

The State Board for Vocational Education is formally created as a state agency and as the successor agency to the Commission for Vocational Education.  The board is responsible for carrying out any statutory duties formerly administered by the Commission for Vocational Education, including the Private School Licensing Act, the Job Skills Program and the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence.  The board may delegate by interagency agreement responsibility for administering the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence to any existing state agency, board or council.  Rules of the Commission for Vocational Education remain in effect until the board acts to adopt or revoke those rules.  A termination date of July 1, 1992, is specified in the bill.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      available

Effective Date:The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Senate Committee - Testified: Clif Finch, AWB; Chuck Bailey, WSLC; Stan Marshburn, SBVE; Earl Hale, SBCCE; Judy Billings, SPI; Judy Boekholder, COVE; William Olfert, COVE

HOUSE AMENDMENT:

The expiration date for the State Board for Vocational Education is deleted.  The Vocational-Technical Institute Act is created which establishes a new, independent state system of vocational-technical institutes under a state vocational "institute board."  The amendment defines "institute board" as the State Board for Vocational Education.  The new system is modeled after the community college system with a board of trustees appointed by the institute board.  All powers, duties, functions, and personnel of SPI pertaining to vocational-technical institutes are transferred to the institute board.  All powers, duties, functions and personnel of the local school district pertaining to a vocational-technical institute are transferred to the local vocational-technical institute board of trustees.  VTIs would no longer be considered part of the common school system and no longer eligible for school construction money for the common school construction fund.  The effective date of the Vocational-Technical Institute Act is July 1, 1992.