Bill Summary for Selected Bills
2013 Legislative Session
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Updated 6/18/2013 Scroll down for the bills.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” — Demosthenes
CURE monitors all bills that go through the education committees and a few other selected bills that come to our attention. Only selected bills will be listed here.
Click on the bill number for more details.
S (substitute), E (engrossed), and/or a number in front of a bill number means that a bill has been changed from the original version. An ‘a’ after a bill number means the bill was amended by the opposite house. The changes can be small, technical matters or result in a complete overhaul of the bill, sometimes drastically altering its effect. When substantive changes occur, we will make note of it in the content summary. Bills numbered 1000 – 6999 originate in the House. Bills numbered 5000 – 8999 originate in the Senate. The designation HB (House Bill), HJR (House Joint Resolution), SB (Senate Bill), and SJR (Senate Joint Resolution) have been left off for space reasons.
TO ACT (DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION): Call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (Toll free!). They will take messages on up to three bills. All you need to know is your address and the bill number. If you want to e-mail your legislator, e-mail lists are here:
Senate e-mail list: https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx?Chamber=S
House of Reps e-mail list: https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx?Chamber=H
2013 Legislative Session: Cutoff Calendar
CCSS is “Common Core State Standards” (Federal standards)EALRs are the Essential Academic Learning Requirements. EOC is End of Course [assessment]
ESD is Educational Service District GLE is Grade Level Expectations OSPI is the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; RCW is Revised Code of Washington (i.e. state laws) SBE is the State Board of Education SPI is the Superintendent of Public Instruction; STW is School-To-Work, i.e. gov’t-defined career tracks (not the same as traditional career exploration)
Information highlighted in red are bills which we deem to be the most beneficial or most damaging.
The second 2013 special session is beginning. The bills which did not pass are reactivated, again.
Bill No. |
Summary |
Status |
Position |
Generally, House hearings are held in the John L. O’Brien Bldg and Senate hearings are held in the J.A. Cherberg Bldg. |
All hearing times are subject to change.
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S2051 |
“Declares an intent to enact a plan of incremental implementation of basic education expenditures.” From the Bill Report: Requires specified Basic Education allocations to be increased in equal annual increments beginning in the 2013-14 school year through the 2017-18 school year. Adjusts allocations to be provided for maintenance, supplies, and operating costs to reflect updated data. Phases in increased salary allocations for classified and administrative staff in biennial increments based on market rate salaries identified in a 2012 study. Specifies an implementation schedule for increased instructional hours under Basic Education. Directs the State Board of Education to adopt a 24-credit graduation requirement framework to take effect with the graduating class of 2018. Creates a legislative Task Force on Career Education Opportunities, and requires a report by December 15, 2013. Directs that the state expenditure limit not be re-based for fiscal year 2014 through 2018 based on the previous year’s actual expenditures. |
House Rules Committee |
Oppose |
HB2063 |
Creates education investment tax credit program which allows a credit against B&O taxes for approved contributions made by a person to a scholarship organization. Reqs dept of revenue to: (1) Create and maintain a public list of all scholarship organizations that meet certain reqmts; (2) Post the list on its web site and frequently update the list; and (3) Provide the list to OSPI. Reqs OSPI to: (1) Post the list on its web site, including any updates made by the dept; and (2) Assist the dept in determining noncompliance by a scholarship organization. Approved private school is not considered an agent of the state or federal government as a result of accepting a student who has received a scholarship from a scholarship organization. (The eligibility requirements for students do not require the child to be a resident of the state nor a citizen of the US.)
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House Education Committee | Oppose
Concerns. This will be administered by the state Department of Revenue, not Education. The tax credit refers to the Business and Occupation Tax. Persons do not pay B&O taxes; companies do. This is model legislation written for states w/ income taxes, modified for WA. |
SHB2064 |
“Preserving funding deposited into the education legacy trust account used to support common schools and access to higher education by restoring the application of the Washington estate and transfer tax to certain property transfers.” Re-instituting certain estate taxes to benefit education. This is a layman’s nightmare of a bill. It requires a CPA or tax attorney to translate even the bill’s report. |
House Rules Committee |
Oppose |
HB2065 |
“Requires the legislature, at such time as the amount of funds from marijuana excise taxes distributed annually to the general fund is determined, to prioritize funding for an integrated high quality continuum of early learning, called early start, for children birth-to-five years of age.” Includes home visitation and parent education. |
House Appropriations Committee | Oppose |
HB2075 |
“Preserving funding deposited into the education legacy trust account used to support common schools and access to higher education by restoring the application of the Washington estate and transfer tax to certain property transfers while modifying the estate and transfer tax to provide tax relief for certain estates.” |
C 2 L 13 E2 | Oppose |
SB5885 |
Creates pilot program for Spanish and Chinese language instruction at the elementary level. Max of 2 districts may participate. No fiscal note or indication of where the funding will come from. Teachers do not have to be certificated. Bill has emergency clause. (Why?) |
Senate Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee |
Neutral |
2ESB5895 |
“Modifies the state expenditure limit. Increases funds in the education legacy trust account from real estate excise taxes, public utility taxes, solid waste collection taxes, and unclaimed state lottery prizes. Requires the department of revenue, if a certain contingency occurs, to annually estimate the anticipated net increase in state sales tax revenues resulting from remote sellers collecting and remitting sales tax on retail sales to buyers located in this state. Declares it is the intent of the legislature: (1) That first priority for the state’s general obligation bond capacity must be for capital budget appropriations necessary to support the state assistance program to assist school districts in the construction and ownership of local school plant facilities; and (2) To meet its obligation to fund the common school system of the state by reducing future debt service payments by the state.” This is another bill the financial types need to wade through. |
Senate Third Reading |
Oppose, until past, current, and future expenditures are made more transparent |
SB5898 |
Increases funding for education, including the adjustment of school district levy and state levy equalization provisions |
Senate Rules Committee |
Oppose, until past, current, and future expenditures are made more transparent |
SB5900 |
“Establishes a state income tax. Decreases the state sales tax rate from 6.5% to 5.5%. Provides that all tax revenues collected pursuant to the act must be deposited in the education legacy trust account to fund education. Provides for submission of the act to a vote of the people.” Income tax rate to be 4.5%. Taxable income same as for federal taxes, except standard deduction is $200,000 to $400,000, depending on filing status |
Senate Ways and Means Committee |
Oppose |
ESB5946 |
“Places responsibility on OSPI with regard to reading and early literacy. Requires LAP to be evidence-based. Requires OSPI to: (1) Convene a discipline task force to develop standard definitions for causes of student disciplinary actions taken at the discretion of the school district; and (2) Develop and annually implement a professional development program for first-time school directors and school district superintendents and for on-going development of school directors and superintendents. Establishes the educator support program to provide professional development and mentor support for beginning educators and educators on probation.” |
Senate Passed 3rd reading |
Pending |
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