Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Higher Education Committee |
HB 1130
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Convening a work group to develop a single, coordinated student access portal for college information.
Sponsors: Representatives Kenney, Haigh, Sells, Hudgins, Dunshee, Chase, Hasegawa, Darneille, Ormsby, Morrell and Nelson.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date:
Staff: Andi Smith (786-7304)
Background:
A "portal" or "web portal" is defined as a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection of links to other sites arranged especially by topic. The portal typically offers a broad array of resources and services, such as forums, email, news, and other services. In the private sector, examples of portals include Yahoo.com or MSN.com.
At the end of the 1990s, many governments began to develop portal sites for their citizens. For government entities, the purpose of a portal is to provide a wide array of comprehensive information on government resources, services, and forms for citizens. The federal government has developed a portal at USA.gov and Washington State has created "Access Washington" at access.wa.gov.
Some types of portals can offer user-specific, customized views. For example, at many colleges and universities, web portals have been developed to offer customized, specific content available based on an individual's role (e.g. faculty, student, staff, administrator). Roles help the portal determine privileges for reading, searching, updating, and personalizing content.
Summary of Bill:
The Higher Education Coordinating Board must convene a work group to develop a plan to create a one-stop, web-based portal for college information. The portal will contain comprehensive information regarding financial, academic, and career planning, admissions, scholarships, and financial aid. The portal will also contain on-line applications for these services.
In developing the plan, the work group must investigate similar efforts in other states with a focus on building a portal that is student-friendly. The plan must include recommendations on the process and timelines for creating the portal, resources necessary to build and maintain it, metrics for gauging success, and enabling legislation. The plan must also identify roadblocks to implementation as well as potential cost savings to students, families, and the state. The work group will complete the plan and submit it to the Legislature by December 1, 2009.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 19, 2009.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.