Z-1296

AN ACT Relating to higher education tuition waivers; amending RCW 28B.10.265, 28B.15.520, 28B.15.543, 28B.15.545, 28B.15.620, 28B.15.628, 28B.50.259, and 28B.80.580; and reenacting and amending RCW 28B.15.014.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28B.10.265 and 1985 c 390 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

Children of any person who was a Washington domiciliary and who within the past eleven years has been determined by the federal government to be a prisoner of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia, including Korea, or who shall become so hereafter, ((~~shall~~)) may be admitted to and attend any public institution of higher education within the state without the necessity of paying any tuition and service and activities' fees for any and all courses offered at any time including summer term whether attending on a part time or full time basis: PROVIDED, That such child shall meet such other educational qualifications as such institution of higher education shall deem reasonable and necessary under the circumstances. Affected institutions shall in their preparation of future budgets include therein costs resultant from such tuition loss for reimbursement thereof from appropriations of state funds. Applicants for free tuition shall provide institutional administrative personnel with documentation of their rights under this section.

Sec. 2. RCW 28B.15.014 and 1989 c 306 s 3 and 1989 c 290 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The following nonresidents ((~~shall~~)) may be exempted from paying the nonresident tuition and fee differential:

(1) Any person who resides in the state of Washington and who holds a graduate service appointment designated as such by a public institution of higher education or is employed for an academic department in support of the instructional or research programs involving not less than twenty hours per week during the term such person shall hold such appointment.

(2) Any faculty member, classified staff member or administratively exempt employee holding not less than a half time appointment at an institution who resides in the state of Washington, and the dependent children and spouse of such persons.

(3) Active-duty military personnel stationed in the state of Washington and the spouses and dependents of such military personnel.

(4) Any immigrant refugee and the spouse and dependent children of such refugee, if the refugee (a) is on parole status, or (b) has received an immigrant visa, or (c) has applied for United States citizenship.

(5) Domestic exchange students participating in the program created under RCW 28B.15.725.

(6) Any dependent of a member of the United States congress representing the state of Washington.

Sec. 3. RCW 28B.15.520 and 1990 c 154 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or chapter 28B.50 RCW as now or hereafter amended:

(1) Boards of trustees of the various community colleges ((~~shall~~)) may waive tuition fees and services and activities fees for students nineteen years of age or older who are eligible for resident tuition and fee rates as defined in RCW 28B.15.012 through 28B.15.015 and who enroll in a course of study or program which will enable them to finish their high school education and obtain a high school diploma or certificate;

(2) The various community college boards may waive the tuition and services and activities fees for children of any law enforcement officer or fire fighter who lost his life or became totally disabled in the line of duty while employed by any public law enforcement agency or full time or volunteer fire department in this state: PROVIDED, That such persons may receive the exemption only if they begin their course of study at a community college within ten years of their graduation from high school;

(3) Boards of trustees of the various community colleges may waive residency requirements for students enrolled in that community college in a course of study or program which will enable them to finish their high school education and obtain a high school diploma or certificate. The waiver shall be in effect only for those courses which lead to a high school diploma or certificate; and

(4) Boards of trustees of the various community colleges may waive the nonresident portion of tuition and fees for up to forty percent of the students enrolled in the regional education program for deaf students, subject to federal funding of such program.

Sec. 4. RCW 28B.15.543 and 1990 c 33 s 558 are each amended to read as follows:

The boards of regents and trustees of the regional universities, state universities, The Evergreen State College, and the community colleges ((~~shall~~)) may waive tuition and service and activities fees for recipients of the Washington scholars award under RCW 28A.600.100 through 28A.600.150 for undergraduate studies. To qualify for the waiver, recipients shall enter the college or university within three years of high school graduation and maintain a minimum grade point average at the college or university equivalent to 3.30. Students shall be eligible for waivers for a maximum of twelve quarters or eight semesters and may transfer among state institutions of higher education during that period and continue to have the tuition and services and activities fees waived by the state institution of higher education that the student attends. Should the student's cumulative grade point average fall below 3.30 during the first three quarters or two semesters, that student may petition the higher education coordinating board which shall have the authority to establish a probationary period until such time as the student's grade point average meets required standards.

Sec. 5. RCW 28B.15.545 and 1987 c 231 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

The boards of regents and trustees of the state universities, regional universities, The Evergreen State College, and the community colleges ((~~shall~~)) may waive tuition and services and activities fees for a maximum of six quarters or four semesters for recipients of the Washington award for vocational excellence established under RCW 28C.04.520 through 28C.04.540. To qualify for the waiver, recipients shall enter the college or university within three years of receiving the award. A minimum grade point average at the college or university equivalent to 3.00 in the first year shall be required to qualify for the second-year waiver. The tuition waiver shall be granted for undergraduate studies only.

Sec. 6. RCW 28B.15.620 and 1989 c 306 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, veterans of the Vietnam conflict who have served in the southeast Asia theater of operations attending institutions of higher learning ((~~shall~~)) may be exempted from the payment of any increase in tuition and fees otherwise applicable to any other resident or nonresident student at any institution of higher education, and shall not be required to pay more than the total amount of tuition and fees paid by veterans of the Vietnam conflict on October 1, 1977: PROVIDED, That for the purposes of this exemption, "veterans of the Vietnam conflict" shall be those persons who have been on active federal service as a member of the armed military or naval forces of the United States between a period commencing August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975, and who qualify as a resident student under RCW 28B.15.012, and who have enrolled in state institutions of higher education on or before May 7, 1990. This section shall expire June 30, 1995.

Sec. 7. RCW 28B.15.628 and 1991 c 228 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:

A veteran of the Persian Gulf combat zone ((~~shall~~)) may be exempted from increases in tuition and fees at any public institution of higher education that occur during and after their period of service, and shall not be required to pay more than the total amount of tuition and fees established for the 1990‑91 academic year, if the veteran could have qualified as a Washington resident student under RCW 28B.15.012(2), had he or she been enrolled as a student on August 1, 1990, and if the veteran's adjusted gross family income as most recently reported to the internal revenue service does not exceed Washington state's median family income as established by the federal bureau of the census. For the purposes of this section, "a veteran of the Persian Gulf combat zone" means a person who during any portion of calendar year 1991 served in active federal service as a member of the armed military or naval forces of the United States in a combat zone as designated by the president of the United States by executive order.

Sec. 8. RCW 28B.50.259 and 1991 c 315 s 17 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The state board for community and technical colleges ((~~education~~)) shall administer a program designed to provide higher education opportunities to dislocated forest products workers and their unemployed spouses who are enrolled in a community or technical college for ten or more credit hours per quarter. In administering the program, the college board shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) With the assistance of an advisory committee, design a procedure for selecting dislocated forest products workers to participate in the program;

(b) Allocate funding to community and technical colleges attended by participants;

(d) Report to the legislature by December 1, 1993, on the status of the program.

(2) Unemployed spouses of eligible dislocated forest products workers may participate in the program, but tuition and fees may be waived under the program only for the worker or the spouse and not both.

(3) The boards of trustees of the community and technical colleges ((~~shall~~)) may waive tuition and fees for program participants, for a maximum of six quarters within a two-year period.

(4) During any biennium, the number of full-time equivalent students to be served in this program shall be determined by the applicable omnibus appropriations act, and shall be in addition to the community college enrollment level funded by the applicable omnibus appropriations act.

Sec. 9. RCW 28B.80.580 and 1991 c 315 s 20 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The board shall contract with institutions of higher education to provide upper division classes to serve additional placebound students in the timber impact areas meeting the following criteria, as determined by the employment security department: (a) A lumber and wood products employment location quotient at or above the state average; (b) a direct lumber and wood products job loss of one hundred positions or more; and (c) an annual unemployment rate twenty percent above the state average; and which are not served by an existing state-funded upper division degree program. The number of full-time equivalent students served in this manner shall be determined by the applicable omnibus appropriations act. The board may direct that all the full-time equivalent enrollments be served in one of the eligible timber impact areas if it should determine that this would be the most viable manner of establishing the program and using available resources. The institutions shall utilize telecommunication technology, if available, to carry out the purposes of this section. The institutions providing the service ((~~shall~~)) may waive the tuition, service, and activities fees for dislocated forest products workers or their unemployed spouses enrolled as one of the full-time equivalent students allocated to the college under this section.

(3) For any eligible participant, tuition ((~~shall~~)) may be waived for a maximum of four semesters or six quarters within a two-year time period and the participant must be enrolled for a minimum of ten credits per semester or quarter.