H-2348.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1966

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By House Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Chandler, Mulliken, Radcliff, Butler, Mason, O'Brien and Morris)

Read first time 03/03/97.

Raising the percentage of waivers allowed at some institutions of higher education.

    AN ACT Relating to higher education fees; and amending RCW 28B.15.910.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 28B.15.910 and 1993 sp.s. c 18 s 31 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Except for revenue waived under programs listed in subsection (3) of this section, and unless otherwise expressly provided in the omnibus state appropriations act, the total amount of operating fees revenue waived, exempted, or reduced by a state university, a regional university, The Evergreen State College, or the community colleges as a whole, shall not exceed the percentage of total gross authorized operating fees revenue set forth below.  As used in this section, "gross authorized operating fees revenue" means the estimated gross operating fees revenue as estimated under RCW 82.33.020 or as revised by the office of financial management, before granting any waivers.  This limitation applies to all tuition waiver programs established before or after July 1, 1992.

    (a) University of Washington                        21 percent

    (b) Washington State University              ((20)) 21 percent

    (c) Eastern Washington University                   11 percent

    (d) Central Washington University             ((8)) 10 percent

    (e) Western Washington University                   10 percent

    (f) The Evergreen State College               ((6)) 10 percent

    (g) Community colleges as a whole                   35 percent

    (2) The limitations in subsection (1) of this section apply to waivers, exemptions, or reductions in operating fees contained in the following:

    (a) RCW 28B.10.265;

    (b) RCW 28B.15.014;

    (c) RCW 28B.15.100;

    (d) RCW 28B.15.225;

    (e) RCW 28B.15.380;

    (f) Ungraded courses under RCW 28B.15.502(4);

    (g) RCW 28B.15.520;

    (h) RCW 28B.15.526;

    (i) RCW 28B.15.527;

    (j) RCW 28B.15.543;

    (k) RCW 28B.15.545;

    (l) RCW 28B.15.555;

    (m) RCW 28B.15.556;

    (n) RCW 28B.15.615;

    (o) RCW 28B.15.620;

    (p) RCW 28B.15.628;

    (q) RCW 28B.15.725;

    (r) RCW 28B.15.730;

    (s) RCW 28B.15.740;

    (t) RCW 28B.15.750;

    (u) RCW 28B.15.756;

    (v) RCW 28B.50.259;

    (w) RCW 28B.70.050; and

    (x) RCW 28B.80.580.

    (3) The limitations in subsection (1) of this section do not apply to waivers, exemptions, or reductions in services and activities fees contained in the following:

    (a) RCW 28B.15.522;

    (b) RCW 28B.15.535;

    (c) RCW 28B.15.540; and

    (d) RCW 28B.15.558.

(4) It is the intent of the legislature that general tax support for institutions of higher education shall not increase as a result of increasing above the 1993 statutory level the percentage of estimated operating fees revenue that institutions may waive.  For the purpose of estimating tuition and fees revenue, the legislature may assume that the maximum percentage of operating fees revenue that the following institutions of higher education may waive is as follows:  Eight percent for Central Washington University, six percent for The Evergreen State College, and twenty percent for Washington State University.

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