Adding labor trustees to college boards.
HB 1036 requires Washington's community colleges, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College to include at least one labor representative on each governing board. This bill amends existing laws to mandate that labor representation be considered when appointing board members, alongside geographical diversity and representation of women, racial, and ethnic minorities. The labor trustee must be appointed by the governor and cannot be an employee of the higher education system. This change directly affects the composition of college governing boards but does not alter policies affecting students or faculty. The bill takes effect October 1, 2030.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Last action Jan 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Substitute Bill
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered and its title updated to reflect that it is a substitute version. The primary substantive change is the addition of a new section establishing governance rules for The Evergreen State College, mirroring existing rules for regional universities. Additionally, eligibility restrictions for college trustees were expanded to explicitly ban employment by the higher education system or membership on other educational boards, and the effective date for all changes was set to October 1, 2030.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include The Evergreen State College, which previously only applied to regional universities and community/technical colleges.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was changed from H-0024.1 to H-0978.1, and the title was updated to 'Substitute House Bill' to reflect its status in the legislative process.
SCOPE
A new section was added to apply the same governance structure and labor trustee requirements to The Evergreen State College that already exists for regional universities.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility requirements for all college trustees were strengthened by adding explicit prohibitions against serving if one is an employee of the higher education system or a member of any other school board.
TIMELINE
The effective date for the new governance rules and eligibility restrictions was set to October 1, 2030.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
11
Key actions
5
Committee
7
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Postsecondary Education & Workforce.
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Rules Committee relieved of further consideration.
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
lower
Jan 31, 2025
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Jan 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Jan 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
lower
Jan 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.
lower
Jan 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.
lower
1 primary · 11 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Lillian Ortiz-Self
DDemocratic
Co
Alex Ramel
DDemocratic
Co
April Berg
DDemocratic
Co
Beth Doglio
DDemocratic
Co
Gerry Pollet
DDemocratic
Co
Greg Nance
DDemocratic
Co
Julia Reed
DDemocratic
Co
Mary Fosse
DDemocratic
Co
Natasha Hill
DDemocratic
Co
Shaun Scott
DDemocratic
Co
Strom Peterson
DDemocratic
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