AN ACT Relating to the Washington technology center; amending RCW 28B.20.285; adding new sections to chapter 43.31 RCW; creating new sections; recodifying RCW 28B.20.285; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The Washington technology center is created as an office in the department of trade and economic development. The Washington technology center shall be administered by a board of directors appointed by the governor and responsible to the director of the department. The board of directors shall consist of twenty-one members: Eleven from business; three each from the University of Washington and Washington State University; three from regional colleges and universities; and one from the board for community college education. The chairman of the board of directors shall be appointed by the director of the department from among the members appointed by the governor. The board of directors shall serve a term of three years.

(2) The primary purpose of the Washington technology center shall be to enhance economic development in this state by coordinating high technology educational research with private industry technology needs to develop new technology that is commercially feasible. Creation and transfer of new technology by the Washington technology center will result in economic development by creating new jobs to manufacture new products, maintaining existing jobs through modernization, and increasing capital investment in this state. Secondary purposes of the Washington technology center shall include educating and training students in the field of high technology.

Sec. 2. Section 11, chapter 72, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and RCW 28B.20.285 are each amended to read as follows:

((~~A Washington high-technology center is created at the University of Washington.~~)) The Washington high-technology center shall ((~~provide~~)): (1) Provide an interdisciplinary program to support major high-technology education and research initiatives within the state;

(2) Provide the resources necessary for research and development ((~~programs in high technology~~)) within the state and require compensation for resources used for other than public education;

(3) Provide quality training for advanced undergraduate and graduate students throughout the state in high technology; ((~~and~~))

(4) Provide interdisciplinary approaches to instruction and research in high-technology fields;

(5) Provide that unencumbered technology be made available to new or existing businesses in this state first;

(6) Provide technical assistance to new or existing small businesses in this state using technology developed by the Washington technology center;

(7) Coordinate the involvement of higher education schools and businesses throughout this state;

(8) Provide for the protection of technology developed at the Washington technology center that is owned by the Washington technology center for the benefit of this state; and

(9) Provide that the benefits of new technology developed at the Washington technology center be made available to businesses in distressed areas where appropriate.

((The Washington high-technology center shall be administered by the board of regents with the advice of the high-technology coordinating board. The University of Washington shall make the facilities of the Washington high-technology center available to other institutions of higher education when specific program needs so require.))

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The department, in conjunction with the Washington technology center, shall:

(1) Develop standards, measures, and other criteria for evaluating the Washington technology center's programs to ensure the programs are effective and that the primary benefit of the Washington technology center's activities is jobs for the citizens of this state and that these activities do not subsidize private businesses in this state; and

(2) Utilize the department's business assistance programs, distressed area programs, business start-up programs, and other programs to encourage new businesses, modernization, and product development from the technology developed at the Washington technology center.

The department shall report on the Washington technology center to the house of representatives trade and economic development committee and the senate economic development and labor committee in January of each year and as otherwise requested by the committees.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. All powers, duties, and functions of the University of Washington pertaining to the Washington high-technology center are transferred to the department of trade and economic development. All references to the University of Washington in the Revised Code of Washington shall be construed to mean the department of trade and economic development when referring to the functions transferred in this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. All reports, documents, surveys, books, records, files, papers, or written material in the possession of the University of Washington pertaining to the powers, functions, and duties transferred shall be delivered to the custody of the department of trade and economic development. All cabinets, furniture, office equipment, motor vehicles, and other tangible property employed by the University of Washington in carrying out the powers, functions, and duties transferred shall be made available to the department of trade and economic development. All funds, credits, or other assets held in connection with the powers, functions, and duties transferred shall be assigned to the department of trade and economic development.

Any appropriations made to the University of Washington for carrying out the powers, functions, and duties transferred shall, on the effective date of this section, be transferred and credited to the department of trade and economic development.

Whenever any question arises as to the transfer of any personnel, funds, books, documents, records, papers, files, equipment, or other tangible property used or held in the exercise of the powers and the performance of the duties and functions transferred, the director of financial management shall make a determination as to the proper allocation and certify the same to the state agencies concerned.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. All employees of the University of Washington engaged in performing the powers, functions, and duties transferred are transferred to the jurisdiction of the department of trade and economic development. All employees classified under chapter 41.06 RCW, the state civil service law, are assigned to the department of trade and economic development to perform their usual duties upon the same terms as formerly, without any loss of rights, subject to any action that may be appropriate thereafter in accordance with the laws and rules governing state civil service.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. All rules and all pending business before the University of Washington pertaining to the powers, functions, and duties transferred shall be continued and acted upon by the department of trade and economic development. All existing contracts and obligations shall remain in full force and shall be performed by the department of trade and economic development.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The transfer of the powers, duties, functions, and personnel of the University of Washington shall not affect the validity of any act performed prior to the effective date of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. If apportionments of budgeted funds are required because of the transfers directed by sections 5 through 8 of this act, the director of financial management shall certify the apportionments to the agencies affected, the state auditor, and the state treasurer. Each of these shall make the appropriate transfer and adjustments in funds and appropriation accounts and equipment records in accordance with the certification.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. Nothing contained in sections 4 through 9 of this act may be construed to alter any existing collective bargaining unit or the provisions of any existing collective bargaining agreement until the agreement has expired or until the bargaining unit has been modified by action of the personnel board as provided by law.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. Sections 1 and 3 of this act are each added to chapter 43.31 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. RCW 28B.20.285 shall be recodified as a new section in chapter 43.31 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. This act shall take effect January 1, 1990.