Signed by Governor Chris Gregoire

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that submits a referendum to the voters to authorize the State Finance Committee to issue up to $861 million in general obligation bonds to issue grants for capital improvement projects that result in energy, utility, and operational cost savings for K-12 public schools, public higher education institutions, and other state, local, and subdivision facilities.

Highlights:

-Requires the Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of General Administration, to establish a competitive bidding process for projects to obtain grants, with the following requirements (Sec. 302):

-First round of grants shall be distributed to public school districts and public higher education institutions, with at least 5 percent awarded to public school districts with fewer than 1,000 students; and -Second and subsequent rounds of grants shall be distributed to public school districts, public higher education institutions, state agencies, local governments, and subdivisions of the state, with up to 75 percent awarded to public school districts and public higher education institutions, of which at least 5 percent shall be awarded to public school districts with less than 1,000 students.

-Requires the Department to prioritize projects in the competitive bidding process based on the following criteria, in the following order (Sec. 302):

-Leverage ratio of non-state funding sources; -Energy savings; and -Expediency of expenditure.

-Limits grants to the top 85 percent of projects in each round of competitive bidding until a final round is deemed appropriate by the Department (Sec. 301).

Full Bill Text