Efficiency bill looks to build on last year's success

CU-backed legislation would streamline state processes

By Jay Dedrick

A sequel of sorts to last year's Senate Bill 3, new higher education efficiency legislation introduced at the Capitol this week is aimed at helping the University of Colorado and other institutions carry out their missions with less red tape.

House Bill 11-1301 – with lead sponsors Sen. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass – is expected to be heard in committee late this week or early next.

After the success of last year's legislation, which improved efficiency at CU and other institutions, CU President Bruce Benson asked campus leadership to search for other areas where similar provisions could be made.

The legislation keys on four areas:

• Capital construction and facilities
• Student issues
• Employee issues
• Operational flexibility

Among the proposed changes to capital construction are a streamlining of the approval process for cash-funded capital construction projects, an increase in flexibility to use surplus revenue for a broader array of items as allowed by current law, and removal of purchases of land and education-related science equipment from the current definition of "capital construction."

For students, changes would include a streamlined process for implementation of a guaranteed tuition program, where students lock in a tuition rate for four years.

Employee issues include a proposed expansion of health plan choices. Institutions would be allowed to offer group benefit plans to classified staff in addition to or in place of state plans.

Proposed changes related to operational flexibility include exempting higher education institutions from the requirement to use the Department of Corrections when disposing of surplus state property, and requirements that goods and services be purchased from Colorado Correctional Industries.

To read the bill in its entirety, click here.