READ FIRST TIME 03/10/03.   

     AN ACT Relating to prioritizing proposed capital projects of higher education institutions; adding a new section to chapter 28B.80 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that a capital investment in higher education facilities is needed over the next several biennia to adequately preserve, modernize, and expand the capacity of the state's public two-year and four-year colleges and universities. This investment is needed to responsibly preserve and restore existing facilities and to provide additional space for new students. Further, the legislature finds that capital appropriations will need to respond to each of these areas of need in a planned, balanced, and prioritized manner so that access to a quality system of higher education is ensured.
     (2) It is the intent of the legislature that a methodology be developed that will guide capital appropriation decisions by rating and individually ranking, in sequential, priority order, all major capital projects proposed by the two-year and four-year public universities and colleges. Further, it is the intent of the legislature that this rating, ranking, and prioritization of capital needs will reflect the state's higher education policies and goals including the comprehensive master plan for higher education as submitted by the higher education coordinating board and as adopted by the legislature.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Beginning with the 2005-2007 biennial capital budget submittal, the public four-year institutions, in consultation with the council of presidents and the higher education coordinating board, shall prepare a single prioritized individual ranking of the individual projects proposed by the four-year institutions as provided in subsection (2) of this section. The public four-year institutions may aggregate minor works project requests into priority categories without separately ranking each minor project, provided that these aggregated minor works requests are ranked within the overall list. For repairs and improvements to existing facilities and systems, the rating and ranking of individual projects must be based on criteria or factors that include, but are not limited to, the age and condition of buildings or systems, the programmatic suitability of the building or system, and the activity/occupancy level supported by the building or system. For projects creating new space or capacity, the ratings and rankings of projects must be based upon criteria or factors that include, but are not limited to, measuring existing capacity and progress toward meeting increased space utilization levels as determined by the higher education coordinating board.
     (2) The single prioritized four-year project list shall be approved by the governing boards of each public four-year institution and shall be submitted to the office of financial management and the higher education coordinating board concurrent with the institution's submittal of their biennial capital budget requests.
     (3)(a) The higher education coordinating board, in consultation with the office of financial management and the joint legislative audit and review committee, shall develop common definitions that public four-year institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges shall use in developing their project lists under this section.
     (b) As part of its duties under RCW 28B.80.330(4), the higher education coordinating board shall, as part of its biennial budget guidelines, disseminate, by December 1st of each odd-numbered year, the criteria framework, including general definitions, categories, and rating system, to be used by the public four-year institutions in the development of the prioritized four-year project list. The criteria framework shall specify the general priority order of project types based on criteria determined by the board, in consultation with the public four-year institutions.
     (c) Under RCW 28B.80.330(4), the public four-year institutions shall submit a preliminary prioritized four-year project list to the higher education coordinating board by August 1st of each even-numbered year.
     (d) The state board for community and technical colleges shall, as part of its biennial capital budget request, submit a single prioritized ranking of the individual projects proposed for the community and technical colleges. The state board for community and technical colleges shall submit an outline of the prioritized community and technical college project list to the higher education coordinating board under RCW 28B.80.330(4) by August 1st of each even-numbered year.
     (4) The higher education coordinating board, in consultation with the public four-year institutions, shall resolve any disputes or disagreements arising among the four-year institutions concerning the ranking of particular projects. Further, should one or more governing boards of the public four-year institutions fail to approve the prioritized four-year project list as required in this section, or should a prioritized project list not be submitted by the public four-year institutions concurrent with the submittal of their respective biennial capital budget requests as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the higher education coordinating board shall prepare the prioritized four-year institution project list itself.
     (5) In developing any rating and ranking of capital projects proposed by the two-year and four-year public universities and colleges, the board:
     (a) Shall be provided with available information by the public two-year and four-year institutions as deemed necessary by the board;
     (b) May utilize independent services to verify, sample, or evaluate information provided to the board by the two-year and four-year institutions; and
     (c) Shall have full access to all data maintained by the office of financial management and the joint legislative audit and review committee concerning the condition of higher education facilities.
     (6) Beginning with the 2005-2007 biennial capital budget submittal, the higher education coordinating board shall, in consultation with the state board for community and technical colleges and four-year colleges and universities, submit its capital budget recommendations and the separate two-year and four-year prioritized project lists.