SENATE BILL REPORT
HB 1780
As of February 17, 2022
Title: An act relating to workforce education investment accountability and oversight board staffing changes.
Brief Description: Concerning workforce education investment accountability and oversight board staffing changes.
Sponsors: Representatives Slatter and Chambers.
Brief History: Passed House: 2/2/22, 96-0.
Committee Activity: Higher Education & Workforce Development: 2/17/22.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Modifies staffing of the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board (WEIAO)to the Washington Student Achievement Council.
  • Allows the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to maintain the WEIAO data dashboard.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Staff: Alicia Kinne-Clawson (786-7407)
Background:

The Legislature passed ESSHB 2158 in 2019, known as the Workforce Education Investment Act (WEIA).  The WEIA established the Workforce Education Investment Account that is funded from an increase in the business and occupation tax.  As a part of the WEIA, the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board (WEIAO) was established for two purposes:

  • to provide guidance and recommendations to the Legislature on what workforce education priorities should be funded from the Workforce Education Investment Account; and
  • to ensure accountability that the investments funded from the Workforce Education Investment Account are producing the intended results and effectively increasing student success and career readiness.

 

The WEIAO has 17 members, including legislators and representatives from businesses impacted by the tax, higher education, labor, and students.  The WEIAO is staffed by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) and is required to meet four times a year.
Summary of Bill:

The Student Achievement Council is tasked with staffing the WEIAO.  The Workforce Board must maintain the WEIAO data dashboard on a public-facing portal.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

PRO:  Through the process of standing up the board, we can see that we really need the higher education agency leading this work.  Many of the outcomes are linked to the work Washington Student Achievement Council is doing.  The workforce board was funded to do the staffing work and we are retaining some of that funding to continue doing the data and metrics.  We appreciate that the workforce board handled the very difficult task of standing up the board.  Now it seems like a more natural fit for the higher education board to staff this board.  We hope that they will recieve a full, full-time employee (FTE) to support this work and that the workforce board will retain a half FTE for the data work.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Representative Vandana Slatter, Prime Sponsor; Neil Strege, Washington Roundtable.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.