E-Wire - Evening Edition 2/11/14

Howdy folks,

As the E-Wire was sitting in Ways & Means taking notes, we got an e-mail from the Chief Clerk's office sharing that several education bills will be taken up in the House.  The following bills were considered in this order:

• HB 1011 Military/resident tuition - House version of the Senate Bill which gives military families in state resident exemption waiver
• HB 2017 Certified school employees - Should the state budget not be passed during the regular legislative session, school districts would be allowed to extend the deadline to send nonrenewal notices to certificated by one month.
• HB 2167 - Technical Correction bill on date of implementation by which challenged schools are identified
• HB 2228 - Consumer protection bill for students in private vocational or higher education institutions
• ​HB 2276 - Allows ESD's to manage residential schools if requested by the school district
• HB 2285 Dual credit coursework - Requires the Student Achievement Council to study school district policies on dual track courses and their availability and to make recommendations to the H.Education Committees of the Legislature.
• HB 2336 Higher ed department budgets - Requires state colleges and universities to put their budgets online within 60 days of adoption.
• HB 2398 Community college degrees - Bill permits community colleges which are currently allowed to confer applied baccalaureate degrees to confer honorary bachelor of applied science degrees.​
• HB 2546 Higher education provisions - Makes technical and de-codifying corrections 
• HB 2575 Teacher assignment data - Requiring that teacher assignment and reassignment data be included in data submitted to the office of the superintendent of public instruction.  
• HB 2583 Charter school CEOs - Adding charter school chief executive officers to the list of individuals who may file complaints of unprofessional conduct regarding certificated employees.
• HB 2605 Student restraint, isolation - Making school district policies on restraint or isolation of certain students available to parents and guardians 
• HB 2651 Higher ed transparency - Requires creation of a H.Education transparency web site which will allow easy access to revenues and expenditures of public institutions of H.Education
• HB 2531 Teacher certification - Bill specifies that the design of alternative teacher certification programs are able to evolve over time,removes the requirement that applicants submit proposals, adds that Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) establish policies and provide oversight and accountability.  Adds reporting requirements from PESB and eliminates language that contains specific descriptions of alternate route of teacher certification.​
• HB 2165 Early learning/fatalities - Requires a child fatality review to be conducted by the Department of Early Learning if a child dies under the care of a licensed child care center or licensed child care home.  The results of the review will be recommendations to the legislature on licensing practices and policies to prevent such incidents in the future.
• HB 2282 Early learning advisory council - Makes changes to the membership of the Early Learning Council 
• HB 2191 Child care facilities - Reduces compliance requirements on child care facilities where facilities meet local standards and requires the department to pay for all building inspection fees associated with obtaining a child care license. 
• HB 2722 Domestic violence assault - Increases the age of mandatory arrest for domestic violence assault from age 16 to 18, allows officers discretion to place 16 and 17 year olds who commit an assault under arrest if certain criteria are met.  
• HB 1675 Makes changes to the adoption process to include pre and post placement reports on parents planned approach to child discipline and punishment; provides that DSHS establish procedures and requirements on adoption disruption and dissolution and the factors leading to these instances. 
• HB 1027 - Implementing changes to child support based on the child support schedule work group report.​​

Most of the bills passed without substantial opposition, but a few will have challenges when they reach the Senate.  It's 5:15 now and the House has broken up for Caucus then a rolling Dinner.  They are likely going to be heading back on the floor for a late night.  The E-Wire plans on holding out with his former colleagues.

More to come later!