Legislative round-up 1/28/11

Written by Kira Cox | The Bellingham Herald | January 28, 2011

Sources: Washington Votes and the state Legislature website.

House Bill 1593 Introduced by Rep. Reuven Carlyle, (D-Seattle) on January 26, 2011. The bill would direct the Professional Educator Standards Board to establish a residency provisional principal certification with specific requirements. This act allows school districts to recommend candidates for certification. This act expands the authority of school principals to include decision making authority regarding personnel and budgets. This act also provides increased accountability for a principal’s ability to lead a school. Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1594 Introduced by Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, (D-Seattle) on January 26, 2011. The bill would modify the terms of service on the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership. This act adopts the Jumpstart Coalition national standards in K-12 personal finance education, subject to availability of funding. This act also requires participating school districts to report findings and results of the related demonstration projects to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Legislature annually. Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1595 Introduced by Rep. Eileen Cody, (D-West Seattle) on January 26, 2011. The bill would allow graduates of foreign medical schools to obtain a license to practice medicine if they meet certain requirements. This act sets out specific training requirements for such students, and requires proof of permanent residency status and the ability to read, write, and speak English. Referred to the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.

House Bill 1599 Introduced by Rep. Tim Probst, (D-Vancouver) on January 26, 2011. The bill creates the Pay for Actual Student Success to financially reward high schools that demonstrate an improvement in the high school dropout rate. This act creates specific criteria by which to measure a school’s success. This act also creates guidelines for programs implemented to improve dropout rates. Referred to the House Education Committe.

House Bill 1600 Introduced by Rep. Tim Probst, (D-Vancouver) on January 26, 2011. The bill provides for special certification for elementary math specialists and encourages school districts to work with higher education institutions to develop training programs for the certifications. This act also encourages school districts to utilize math specialists throughout their districts by rotating them between classes. Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1602 Introduced by Rep. Jim McCune, (R-Graham) on January 26, 2011. The bill recognizes parental rights, including legal guardians of minors,  as fundamental and not to be infringed upon by government except in very limited circumstances. This act specifically protects a parent’s right to notification for general healthcare, invasive procedures, outpatient or inpatient treatment for alcoholism or chemical dependency, and results of tests conducted for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. This act also requires parental permission for a minor student’s participation in any sex or AIDS awareness and prevention education program. Referred to the House Judiciary Committe.

House Bill 1604 Introduced by Rep. Jim McCune, (R-Graham) on January 26, 2011. The bill requires parental permission for a student’s participation in an AIDS prevention education or sexual health education program. This act also requires schools to allow parents the opportunity to review the education programs and instruction materials. Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1608 Introduced by Rep. Andrew Billig, (D – Spokane) on January 26, 2011. The bill modifies the qualifications for the opportunity internship program to include students who qualify for a state need grant or meets certain federal qualifications. This act allows students to remain in the program regardless of a change in eligibility and until the student receives a GED or a diploma. This act allows participation in federally-approved apprenticeship programs to satisfy qualification requirements. This act allows for stipends as incentives for completing the program. This act also calls for analysis related to the expansion of the program to middle income students. Referred to the House Labor & Workforce Development.

House Bill 1609 Introduced by Rep. Eric Pettigrew, (D-Seattle) on January 26, 2011. The bill  allows for performance-based reduction in the K-12 workforce due to enrollment decline or revenue loss. This act provides for principal-teacher collaboration in making placement decisions for teachers. This act also provides for performance-based evaluation of principals according to guidelines developed by the Legislature. Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1611 Introduced by Rep. Shelly Short, (R-Addy) on January 26, 2011. The bill clarifies current law regarding the licenses of child care facilities, including provisions for dispute resolution in license revocation proceedings. This act requires the Department of Social and Health Services to provide a quality improvement consultation program that is voluntary for participants and separate from the licensing process. Referred to the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee.

House Bill 1621 Introduced by Rep. Tina  Orwall, (D-Des Moines) on January 27, 2011. The bill makes technical corrections in current law concerning the Department of Early Learning to reflect recent structural changes in the Department of Social and Health Services and corrects statutory references. Referred to the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee.

House Bill 1607 Introduced by Rep. Christine Rolfes, (D-Bainbridge Island) on January 26, 2011. The bill would authorize the superintendent of public instruction to provide an exemption from school day and hour requirements if there are unforeseen, retroactive mid-school year reductions in state funding for school districts. This provision expires September 1, 2011. (COmpanion: SB 5511). Referred to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 1625 Introduced by Rep. Ross Hunter, (D-Medina) on January 27, 2011. The bill would provide that if a member of the public employees’ retirement system, a member of the teachers’ retirement system , or a member of the school employees’ retirement system entering plan 3 does not select investments, the member’s account shall be invested in the default investment option of the retirement strategy fund that is closest to the retirement target date of the member. (Companion: SB 5494). Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee.

House Bill 1631 Introduced by Rep. Chris Reykdal, (D – Olympia) on January 27, 2011. The bill authorizes state appropriations be adjusted to provide for consistent and predictable funding of academic employee salary increments for certain academic employees. This act provides for cost of living increases and incremental increases for part-time faculty at four-year institutions and faculty at community and technical colleges. Referred to the House Higher Education Committee.

House Bill 1633 Introduced by Rep. Troy Kelley, (D-Tacoma) on January 27, 2011. The bill modifies the age of compulsory school attendance from eight to seven. This act also includes technical modifications to truancy provisions reflecting the age change. Referred to the House Education Committee.

Senate Bill 5494 Introduced by Sen. Lisa Brown, (D-Spokane) on January 27, 2011. The bill would provide that if a member of the public employees’ retirement system, a member of the teachers’ retirement system , or a member of the school employees’ retirement system entering plan 3 does not select investments, the member’s account shall be invested in the default investment option of the retirement strategy fund that is closest to the retirement target date of the member. (Companion: HB 1625). Referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

Senate Bill 5504 Introduced by Sen. Tracey Eide, (D-Federal Way) on January 27, 2011. The bill would establish the Colby Thompson act, named after a victim of shaken baby syndrome, allegedly committed by an unlicensed baby sitter. The bill provides that when the department suspects that a person is providing child care without a license, it shall send notice to that person within ten days. The notice shall include information that the person must immediately stop providing child care until he or she becomes licensed and hat the department can issue a penalty of one hundred fifty dollars per day for each day the person provided care without being licensed. Referred to the Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee.

Senate Bill 5507 Introduced by Sen. Derek Kilmer, (D-Gig Harbor) on January 27, 2011. The bill would provide consistent and predictable funding of academic employee salary increases for state-funded two-year college academic employees who qualify through experience, professional development, and training pursuant to local collective bargaining. The bill requires that each biennium, the state board shall submit in its biennial budget request an amount of funds, which together with academic employee turnover savings, is sufficient to cover the projected state-funded costs of increments for the community and technical college system. Referred to the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee.

Senate Bill 5511 Introduced by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, (D-Kitsap County) on January 27, 2011. The bill would authorize the superintendent of public instruction to provide an exemption from school day and hour requirements if there are unforeseen, retroactive mid-school year reductions in state funding for school districts. This provision expires September 1, 2011. (Companion: HB 1607). Referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

Senate Bill 5513 Introduced by Sen. Pam Roach, (R-Auburn) on January 27, 2011. The bill would provide that any child protective services worker who is directly engaged in the investigation of reports of alleged child abuse or neglect; in assessment of risk of abuse or neglect to children; or in providing and referring services to remedy dangers to children, must be bonded and licensed as a social worker. Referred to the Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee.

Tags: early childhood, Higher Education, Legislature