HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 HCR 4407

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Capital Budget

Brief Description:  Establishing a joint select committee on the future facility needs of higher education.

Sponsors:  Representatives Murray, Mitchell, Edmonds, Esser and Carlson.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Capital Budget:  3/22/99, 4/14/99 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Creates an eight member joint committee to review the future facility needs of higher education and report its findings to the 2000 session of the Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CAPITAL BUDGET

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 16 members:  Representatives Mitchell, Republican Co-Chair; Murray, Democratic Co-Chair; Edmonds, Democratic Vice Chair; Esser, Republican Vice Chair; Alexander; Anderson; Barlean; Bush; Constantine; Dunshee; Hankins; Lantz; Miloscia; O'Brien; Ogden and Schoesler.

Staff:  Bill Robinson (786-7140).

Background:

The Higher Education Coordinating Board is charged by the Legislature to prepare a master plan for higher education in Washington.  The state master plan for higher education sets a goal for increasing enrollment in postsecondary education by the year 2010 and the year 2020.  The goal is to increase lower-division enrollment at the rate of population growth, and upper-division and graduate enrollments to the national average participation rate by the year 2010 and the national 70th percentile participation rate by the year 2020.  To meet these enrollment goals, 59,000 new full-time equivalent students will enter the system by the year 2010 and 92,000 by the year 2020.

The Governor's 2020 Commission on the future of postsecondary education also recommended increasing the higher education enrollment goal to better respond to the growing demands of a knowledge-based economy and challenged the state to find creative solutions to serve the growing number of people without building new college campuses.

Summary of Bill:

A joint House and Senate committee on the future higher education facilities is appointed to review the higher educations enrollment levels in the master plan, review the facility needs for future students, and review the funding options for additional higher educations facilities.

The joint committee consists of four members from the House and four from the Senate, including a member from the House Capital Budget Committee, House Appropriations Committee, House Higher Education Committee, Senate Ways and Means, and Senate Higher Education Committee.  The committee must report its findings and recommendations at the 2000 legislative session.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Testimony For:  Legislative review of existing facilities and the need to preserve and maintain existing campuses is necessary and important.  The Legislature will be more aware of the balance of meeting the needs of existing institutions with the need for increased access for enrollment

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Kevin Evanto, University of Washington; Tom Henderson, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; and John Fricke,  Higher Education Coordinating Board.