READ FIRST TIME 02/20/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to educating students in high demand fields; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The state of Washington leads the nation in providing employment for people with baccalaureate degrees, but only ranks thirty-sixth in the nation in the production of degrees. Beginning in 2007 it is estimated that for job openings in Washington that require a bachelor's degree, forty-seven percent will be in fields identified as high demand or high impact, but that only fourteen percent of Washington students each year graduate with degrees in one of these fields. Washington ranks among the top ten states in scientists and computer specialists employed per capita and leads the nation in engineers employed per capita, but must import employees to meet employer demands. Additionally, Washington does not produce a sufficient number of newly prepared workers in areas that require more than one year but less than four years of higher education. The in-state supply at this mid-level of education and training is sufficient to fill only eighty-three percent of employer job openings that require that level of training. Therefore, the legislature finds that Washington needs to produce eight to ten thousand additional baccalaureate degrees per year so that Washington employers will not have to look out of state to find employees. The legislature further finds that Washington needs to enroll over fourteen thousand additional students at the mid-level of education and training in order to meet employer demand.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) A committee on the education of students in high demand fields is established to:
     (a) Develop a plan to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees granted by Washington institutions of higher education by ten thousand per year and to significantly increase the number of certificates and associate degrees granted by 2020 with a special emphasis directed toward high impact, high demand areas of study;
     (b) Develop a marketing project to inform students, parents, and educators of opportunities in high demand fields;
     (c) Investigate ways to motivate students to take more mathematics and science courses in high school and college; and
     (d) Identify ways that the business community can enter into more partnerships with the state to ensure that Washington institutions of higher education produce graduates in high demand fields that are ready and able to find employment in Washington.
     (2) The committee shall be cochaired by a member of the house of representatives and a member of the senate. It shall consist of:
     (a) Two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
     (b) Two members of the senate, with one appointed by each major caucus of the senate;
     (c) One person representing the higher education coordinating board, appointed by the director of the board;
     (d) One person representing the state board for community and technical colleges, appointed by the director of the state board;
     (e) One person representing the state workforce training and education coordinating board, appointed by the director of the board;
     (f) One person representing the office of the superintendent of public instruction, appointed by the superintendent of public instruction;
     (g) One person representing each of the following, appointed by the governor:
     (i) The labor council;
     (ii) The council of presidents;
     (iii) The prosperity partnership;
     (iv) The council of faculty representatives; and
     (v) One employer of persons in high demand fields; and
     (h) A graduate student member of the Washington student lobby, appointed by the governor.
     (3) The committee shall receive staff and logistical support from senate committee services and the office of program research.
     (4) The committee shall report its findings and recommendations to appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2007.
     (5) This section expires December 31, 2007.