SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 1574

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                Higher Education, April 1, 1997

Title:  An act relating to financial aid portability.

Brief Description:  Creating the historically Black college fund pilot project.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Mason, Radcliff, Carlson, Dunn, Cooper, Conway, Tokuda, Kenney, Doumit, Quall, Sheahan, Hatfield, Blalock, Dickerson, Scott, O'Brien, Costa, Cody and Regala).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Higher Education:  3/25/97, 4/1/97 [DP-WM].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

  Signed by Senators Wood, Chair; Winsley, Vice Chair; Hale, Kohl, Patterson, Prince and Sheldon.

Staff:  Jennifer Hanlon (786-7784)

Background:  Under current law, students receiving state need grants must attend institutions of higher education located in the state of Washington.  The Higher Education Coordinating Board has made some limited exceptions to the requirement for reciprocity students attending colleges in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.

According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, dated November 24, 1995, 11 states permit their students to take their state financial aid money with them when they attend college in another state.  This practice is known as portability.

Summary of Bill:  The Historically Black College Fund pilot project is created.  Through the project, needy Washington residents may take their state need grant awards to any of five historically Black institutions of higher education.  The institutions include Morehouse College, Howard University, Spelman College, Grambling State University, and Tuskegee University.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board must administer the pilot project.  The board must establish criteria for student and institutional participation and limit the number of participants to no more than 100 students during the course of the pilot.  By December 15, 2002, the board must report to the Governor and appropriate legislative committees on the results of the pilot project.  The report includes a recommendation on the extent to which financial aid portability is permitted for Washington's college students.

The authority to administer this financial aid portability project expires on June 30, 2002.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  These colleges are open to everyone and they go out of business if they do not perform well.  Thus, black colleges are able to educate a diverse group of students with many different learning styles.  Black colleges provide a rich cultural environment.  It is helpful for all students to have instructors who look like them and to have diverse role models.  For many students, historically, black institutions also provide a greater opportunity for socal interaction.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Representative Dawn Mason, prime sponsor; Merritt D. Long, Tamara Rashid, private citizens.