S-1563.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5277

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl‑Welles, Hale, Shin, Brown, Patterson, Finkbeiner, Eide, Bauer, Swecker, Rasmussen, Sellar, Prentice and Winsley)

Read first time 02/22/1999.

Creating programs for child care at institutions of higher education.

    AN ACT Relating to child care grants for state institutions of higher education; and adding a new chapter to Title 28B RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  Two Washington accounts for student child care in higher education are established.  The higher education coordinating board and the state board for community and technical colleges shall administer the programs.  Through these programs the boards may award on a competitive basis child care grants to state institutions of higher education to encourage programs to address the need for high quality, accessible, and affordable child care for students at higher education institutions.  The university or college administration and student government association, or its equivalent, of each institution receiving the award shall contribute financial support in an amount equal to the child care grant received by the institution.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The institution of higher education shall be eligible to receive the grant for a period not exceeding two years.  After the expiration of any two-year grant, the institution may reapply to receive subsequent grant awards or a continuation of the grant awarded the prior two years.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The higher education coordinating board shall administer the program for four-year institutions of higher education.  The state board for community and technical colleges shall administer the program for community and technical colleges.  The higher education coordinating board and the state board for community and technical colleges shall have the following powers and duties in administering each program:

    (1) To adopt rules necessary to carry out the program;

    (2) To establish one or more review committees to assist in the evaluation of proposals for funding.  The review committee shall include but not be limited to individuals from the Washington association for the education of young children, the child care coordinating committee, and the child care resource and referral network;

    (3) To establish each biennium specific guidelines for submitting grant proposals consistent with the overall goals of the program.  During the 1999-2001 biennium the guidelines shall be consistent with the following desired outcomes of increasing access to child care for students, addressing the demand for infant and toddler care, providing affordable child care alternatives, creating more cooperative preschool programs, creating models that can be replicated at other institutions, creating a partnership between university or college administrations and student government, or its equivalent and increasing efficiency and innovation at campus child care centers;

    (4) To establish guidelines for an allocation system based on factors that include but are not limited to:  The amount of money available in the trust fund; characteristics of the institutions including the size of the faculty and student body; and the number of child care grants received;

    (5) To solicit grant proposals and provide information to the institutions of higher education about the program; and

    (6) To establish reporting, evaluation, accountability, monitoring, and dissemination requirements for the recipients of the grants.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  Two accounts for student child care in higher education are established in the custody of the state treasurer.  Moneys in the accounts may be spent only for the purposes of section 1 of this act.  Disbursements from one of the accounts shall be on the authorization of the higher education coordinating board and disbursements from the other account shall be on the authorization of the state board for community and technical colleges.  The accounts are subject to the allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for disbursements.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  Sections 1 through 4 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.

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