FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6557

PARTIAL VETO

C 348 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Providing for the higher education coordinating board to select its chair and vice‑chair.

Sponsors:  Senators Kohl‑Welles, Horn, Carlson, Shin, Jacobsen, Sheahan, McAuliffe, Parlette and B. Sheldon.

Senate Committee on Higher Education

House Committee on Higher Education

Background:  Under current Washington law, the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) consists of nine members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate.  The chair of the HECB is appointed by the Governor and serves at the Governor's pleasure.  The members of the HECB, other than the chair, serve for a term of four years.  The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, like the HECB, consists of nine members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate, but the chair and vice chair are elected by the members of the board annually.

Summary:  The members of the HECB are given the authority to select from their membership a chair and vice-chair who serve a one-year term as chair or vice-chair.  The chair or vice-chair may serve more than one term if the board chooses to reselect them.  This new process for selecting a chair and vice-chair does not take effect until the term of the current chair is over.  All members of the HECB serve four-year terms with no exception for the chair.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate460

House930(House amended)

Senate440(Senate concurred)

Effective:  June 13, 2002

Partial Veto Summary:  Currently, all members of the Higher Education Coordinating Board serve four‑year terms, except the chair, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor.  Section 2 of the bill would have changed the term of the chair to a four‑year term as well.  However, it was unclear whether the four‑year term limitation for the chair applied to the current chair.  The existing law, which is retained by this veto, does not contain the same caveat as section 1 of the bill regarding the term of the current chair.