2019 Regular Session

BySenators Wellman and Hasegawa

Prefiled 01/07/19.Read first time 01/14/19.Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

AN ACT Relating to school surplus technology; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.335.180; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.335 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.335.180 and 1997 c 264 s 1 and 1997 c 104 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, school districts, educational service districts, or any other state or local governmental agency concerned with education, when declaring texts and other books, equipment, materials or relocatable facilities as surplus, shall, prior to other disposal thereof, serve notice in writing in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district and to any public school district or private school in Washington state annually requesting such a notice, that the same is available for sale, rent, or lease to public school districts or approved private schools, at depreciated cost or fair market value, whichever is greater: PROVIDED, That students wishing to purchase texts pursuant to RCW 28A.320.230(2) and computer equipment pursuant to subsection (2) of this section shall have priority as to such texts. The notice requirement in this section does not apply to the sale or transfer of assistive devices under RCW 28A.335.205 or chapter 72.40 RCW. Such districts or agencies shall not otherwise sell, rent or lease such surplus property to any person, firm, organization, or nongovernmental agency for at least thirty days following publication of notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district.

(2)(a) Priority to purchase surplus computer equipment shall be given to students that:

(i) Are considered low-income; and

(ii) Have been accepted to attend an institution of higher education upon graduation.

(b) Students given priority under this subsection shall have priority with respect to the purchase of one item of surplus equipment for a nominal fee.

(3) School districts shall provide notice to students of surplus computer equipment prior to disposal of the equipment, in addition to the requirements under subsection (1) of this section. Districts may satisfy this provision by providing such information on the official web site of the school district.

(4) In lieu of complying with subsection (1) of this section, school districts and educational service districts may elect to grant surplus personal property to a federal, state, or local governmental entity, or to indigent persons, at no cost on the condition the property be used for preschool through twelfth grade educational purposes, or elect to loan surplus personal property to a nonreligious, nonsectarian private entity on the condition the property be used for the preschool through twelfth grade education of members of the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.335 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The department of enterprise services, in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall establish an online inventory of school districts' surplus equipment and materials. The inventory shall allow for school districts to publish needed equipment and materials and facilitate communication between districts for the purpose of acquiring surplus property. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall inform school districts of the inventory upon completion.

(2) The publication of surplus equipment and materials on the inventory shall not affect notice requirements under RCW 28A.335.180(1) or other requirements in this chapter.