H-371                _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1285

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Representatives Prince, Jacobsen, Van Luven, Spanel, R. King, Basich, Jesernig, Rayburn, Nelson, Wineberry, Kremen, Wood, Locke, Rector, O'Brien, K. Wilson and Silver

Read first time 1/20/89 and referred to Committee on Higher Education.

AN ACT Relating to services and activities fee programs; and amending RCW 28B.15.045.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 2, chapter 80, Laws of 1980 as amended by section 2, chapter 91, Laws of 1986 and RCW 28B.15.045 are each amended to read as follows:

          The boards of trustees and the boards of regents of the respective institutions of higher education shall adopt guidelines governing the establishment and funding of programs supported by services and activities fees.  Such guidelines shall spell out procedures for budgeting and expending services and activities fee revenue.  Any such  guidelines shall be consistent with the following provisions:

          (1) Responsibility for proposing to the governing board program priorities and budget levels for that portion of program budgets that derive from services and activities fees shall reside with a services and activities fee committee, on which students shall hold at least a majority of the voting memberships, such student members to be recommended by the student government association or its equivalent.  The chairperson of the services and activities fee committee shall be selected by the members of that committee.  The governing board shall insure that the services and activities fee committee provides an opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard at a public meeting during its consideration of the funding of student programs and activities.

          (2) The services and activities fee committee shall evaluate existing and proposed programs and submit budget recommendations for the expenditure of those services and activities fees with supporting documents to the college or university ((administration, and shall submit informational copies of such to the)) governing board and administration.

          (3) The college or university administration shall ((review and publish a written response)) make proposed program priorities and budget level recommendations to the services and activities fee committee ((recommendations)).  This ((response)) recommendation shall outline potential areas of difference between the committee recommendations and the administration's proposed budget recommendations.  This ((response)) recommendation, with supporting documentation, shall be submitted to the services and activities fee committee ((and)) for consideration thirty days before the services and activities fee committee recommendations are due to the governing board.

          (4) In the event of a dispute or disputes involving the services and activities fee committee recommendations, the college or university administration shall meet with the services and activities fee committee in a good faith effort to resolve such dispute or disputes prior to submittal of final recommendations to the governing board.

          (5) Before adoption of the final budget the governing board shall address areas of difference between any committee recommendations and the administration's budget recommendations ((presented for adoption by the board)).  A student representative of the services and activities fee committee shall be given the opportunity to reasonably address the governing board concerning any such differences.

          (6) The governing board shall consider the program priorities and budget levels proposed and may decrease but may not increase the services and activities fee committee's proposed dollar amount per proposal without written agreement of the services and activities fee committee.  The governing board shall not fund proposals of projects that were not in the original services and activities fee committee's proposals without agreement of the services and activities fee committee except for money needed for board covenant obligations.

(7) Services and activities fees and revenues generated by programs and activities funded by such fees shall be deposited and expended through the office of the chief fiscal officer of the institution.

          (((7))) (8) Services and activities fees and revenues generated by programs and activities funded by such fees shall be subject to the applicable policies, regulations, and procedures of the institution and the budget and accounting act, chapter 43.88 RCW.

          (((8))) (9) All information pertaining to services and activities fees budgets shall be made available to interested parties.

          (((9))) (10) With the exception of any funds needed for bond covenant obligations, once the budget for expending service and activities fees is approved by the governing board, funds shall not be shifted from funds budgeted for associated students or departmentally related categories until the administration provides written justification to the services and activities fee committee and the governing board, or the governing board gives its express approval((, or the recognized student governing organization gives its express approval)).  Such fund transfers cannot be increased from the original budget allocation of the governing board without the written agreement of the governing board and the services and activities fee committee.

          (((10))) (11) Any service and activities fees collected which exceed initially budgeted amounts are subject to subsections (1), (2), (3), and (((9))) (10) of this section.