H-4572              _______________________________________________

                                    HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4436

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Holland, Peery, Betrozoff, H. Sommers, Brough, Cole, Forner, Hine, Ferguson, Ebersole, Miller and Morris

Read first time 2/28/90 and referred to Committee on Rules.

WHEREAS, Voters across the state approved six hundred seventy-two million dollars in school construction bonds on February 6, 1990, in the largest school facilities ballot in the state's history; and

          WHEREAS, Additional elections are scheduled for March and April of this year, all of which will significantly increase the backlog of construction projects requiring and waiting for state matching funds; and

          WHEREAS, Funds generated by the state's only continuing source of revenue for its share of school construction costs, the common school trust lands, have been inadequate to meet the facilities needs of school districts; and

          WHEREAS, Not one school modernization project receiving voter approval since 1986 has received any state matching funds; and

          WHEREAS, Many school districts, despairing of receiving state matching funds in a timely manner, have begun to request local voter approval for the state share of construction costs as well as the local share; and

          WHEREAS, Other school districts, their existing facilities and capacity strained by rapid enrollment growth far beyond anticipated levels, express concern that the state cannot keep up with their needs for construction of new facilities;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, the Senate concurring, That a joint select committee on school construction funding be established to study the issue of financing school construction in a comprehensive manner, including evaluation and identification of alternative methods of financing, sources of revenue, allocation priorities, and other issues related to school construction; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee consist of twelve members, three from each caucus of the House of Representatives selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and three from each caucus of the Senate selected by the President of the Senate; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee develop options and recommendations and present its findings to the legislature on the first day of the regular session held in 1991.