Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Higher Education Committee

SSB 6504

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to institutions of higher education.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl‑Welles, Horn, Shin, Carlson, B. Sheldon, McAuliffe, Parlette, Jacobsen, Franklin and Sheahan).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Removes all references to "branch campus."

$Replaces the terms "branch campus" and "branch campuses" with site-specific campus names.

$Identifies branch campuses collectively as "four-year institutions" and "institutions of higher education".

Hearing Date:  2/27/02

Staff:  Sydney Forrester (786‑7120).

Background:

The Legislature established branch campuses in 1989 with the primary goal of expanding upper‑division and graduate level educational opportunities for the citizens of Washington.  Five major areas were identified as sites for branch campuses:  Tacoma, Bothell, Vancouver, Spokane, and the Tri‑Cities.  The University of Washington and Washington State University were directed to work cooperatively with the community colleges to ensure that branch campuses are operated as models of a two‑plus‑two educational system.

Summary of Bill:

The terms "branch campus" and "branch campuses" are replaced with reference to a specific campus or campuses.  Existing branch campuses are referred to collectively as "campuses", "four‑year institutions", and "institutions of higher education".  A clarification is made to the campus and branch campus reporting requirements for crime statistics.  The campus-by-campus reporting requirement applies to "institutions with more than one campus not including off-campus centers of regional universities and The Evergreen State College."

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available on the original bill.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.