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Committee advances bill adding labor and business members to college and regional university boards
Summary
The committee reported out substitute House Bill 1036 to add labor representation to regional university and community and technical college boards and add business representation to community college boards; an amendment (Ross 66) also adds labor to The Evergreen State College board and bars certain employees from serving as trustees.
The Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee reported out substitute House Bill 1036 on Jan. 28 after adopting technical and substantive amendments that add labor and business representation to governing boards.
Committee counsel Rana Ross summarized the bill: "1036 adds a member from labor to each board of trustees for the regional universities and community and technical college districts. It also adds a member from business to each board of trustees for community college districts." An amendment (Ross 66) adds labor representation to The Evergreen State College Board of Trustees, prohibits employees of the higher education system and governing boards of public or private educational institutions from serving as trustees on Evergreen's or the regional universities' boards, and allows the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to adopt rules clarifying appointment processes.
Supporters, including Representative Salahuddin, said the amendment "adds to the goal of bringing more equity and lived experience to the governance of our higher education institutions." Ranking member Ybarra said he had "a little bit of mixed" views and planned to vote no on the amendment on principle because of the amendment's detail and to discuss further on the floor. Representative Rood urged adding business representation where labor representation is added on regional university boards.
After debate the committee adopted the amendment, incorporated it into a substitute bill, and voted to report the substitute bill out of committee. The clerk recorded a 9–8 vote in favor; the committee report will go forward with a due‑pass recommendation.
