BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to higher education; amending RCW 28B.15.067, 28B.10.776, 28B.10.778, and 28B.10.784; adding a new section to chapter 28B.15 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 28B.10.780, 28B.10.782, 28B.10.786, 28B.15.065, and 28B.80.500.

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

TUITION

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:

The legislature finds that, as a partner in financing public higher education with students and parents who pay tuition and fees, it is important to provide predictability in tuition rates as well as affordability. To accomplish predictability and affordability in tuition rates, the legislature intends that annual changes in tuition rates be based on the average per capita income in the state, as predicted by the office of economic and revenue forecast.

Sec. 2. RCW 28B.15.067 and 1996 c 212 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Tuition fees shall be established and adjusted annually under the provisions of this chapter beginning with the 1997-98 academic year. Such fees shall be identical, subject to other provisions of this chapter, for students enrolled at any community college.

(2)(a) Tuition fees for resident undergraduate students shall be, based on the cost study performed by the higher education coordinating board:

(i) For students at research universities, no more than forty-six percent of the cost per student at research universities;

(ii) For students at regional universities and The Evergreen State College, no more than thirty-five percent of the cost per student at regional universities and The Evergreen State College;

(iii) For students at community and technical colleges, no more than thirty-two percent of the cost per student at community and technical colleges;

(b) Tuition fees for nonresident undergraduate students shall be, based on the cost study performed by the higher education coordinating board:

(i) For students at research universities, no more than one hundred thirty-seven percent of the cost per student at research universities;

(ii) For students at regional universities and The Evergreen State College, no more than one hundred thirty-six percent of the cost per student at regional universities and The Evergreen State College;

(iii) For students at community and technical colleges, no more than one hundred thirty-four percent of the cost per student at community and technical colleges;

(c) Tuition fees for resident graduate students shall be, based on the cost study performed by the higher education coordinating board:

(i) For students at research universities, no more than thirty percent of the cost per student at research universities; and

(ii) For students at regional universities and The Evergreen State College, no more than thirty-nine percent of the cost per student at research universities;

(d) Tuition fees for nonresident graduate students shall be, based on the cost study performed by the higher education coordinating board:

(i) For students at research universities, no more than seventy-six percent of the cost per student at research universities; and

(ii) For students at regional universities and The Evergreen State College, no more than one hundred twenty-four percent of the cost per student at regional universities and The Evergreen State College.

(3) Academic year tuition for full-time students at the state's institutions of higher education for the 1995-96 academic year, other than the summer term, shall be as provided in this subsection.

(a) At the University of Washington and Washington State University:

(i) For resident undergraduate students and other resident students not in graduate study programs or enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, two thousand seven hundred sixty-four dollars;

(ii) For nonresident undergraduate students and other nonresident students not in graduate study programs or enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, eight thousand two hundred sixty-eight dollars;

(iii) For resident graduate and law students not enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, four thousand four hundred ninety dollars;

(iv) For nonresident graduate and law students not enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, eleven thousand six hundred thirty-four dollars;

(v) For resident students enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, seven thousand four hundred ninety-seven dollars; and

(vi) For nonresident students enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, nineteen thousand four hundred thirty-one dollars.

(b) At the regional universities and The Evergreen State College:

(i) For resident undergraduate and all other resident students not in graduate study programs, two thousand forty-five dollars;

(ii) For nonresident undergraduate and all other nonresident students not in graduate study programs, seven thousand nine hundred ninety-two dollars;

(iii) For resident graduate students, three thousand four hundred forty-three dollars; and

(iv) For nonresident graduate students, eleven thousand seventy-one dollars.

(i) For resident students, one thousand two hundred twelve dollars; and

(ii) For nonresident students, five thousand one hundred sixty-two dollars and fifty cents.

((~~(3)~~)) (4) Academic year tuition for full-time students at the state's institutions of higher education beginning with the 1996-97 academic year, other than the summer term, shall be as provided in this subsection.

(a) At the University of Washington and Washington State University:

(v) For resident students enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, seven thousand seven hundred ninety-seven dollars; and

(vi) For nonresident students enrolled in programs leading to the degrees of doctor of medicine, doctor of dental surgery, and doctor of veterinary medicine, twenty thousand two hundred nine dollars.

(b) At the regional universities and The Evergreen State College:

(i) For resident undergraduate and all other resident students not in graduate study programs, two thousand one hundred twenty-seven dollars;

(ii) For nonresident undergraduate and all other nonresident students not in graduate study programs, eight thousand three hundred twelve dollars;

(iii) For resident graduate students, three thousand five hundred eighty-one dollars; and

(iv) For nonresident graduate students, eleven thousand five hundred fourteen dollars.

(i) For resident students, one thousand two hundred sixty-one dollars; and

(ii) For nonresident students, five thousand three hundred sixty-nine dollars and fifty cents.

((~~(4)~~)) (5) For the 1997-98 academic year and thereafter, the tuition fee rates specified in subsection (4) of this section shall be adjusted to reflect the forecasted annual change in state personal per capita income or four percent, whichever is the lower amount. Annually by December 15th, the higher education coordinating board shall calculate tuition fee rates for the following academic year and forecast the tuition fee rates for the next succeeding academic year, based on the current tuition rates and the forecasted annual percentage change in state personal per capita income during the fiscal year in which the academic year begins, as determined by the economic and revenue forecast council under chapter 82.33 RCW.

(6) Tuition fee rates established under subsection (5) of this section may be adjusted in the state omnibus appropriations act based on requests from the boards of regents at the University of Washington or Washington State University, the boards of trustees at the regional universities or The Evergreen State College, or the state board for community and technical colleges. In considering rate adjustments, the legislature shall adopt or deny each institution's package of tuition rate adjustments in its entirety. Any adjustments adopted under this subsection are subject to the limitations established by subsection (2) of this section.

(7) The tuition fees established under this chapter shall not apply to high school students enrolling in community colleges under RCW 28A.600.300 through 28A.600.395.

ENROLLMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Sec. 3. RCW 28B.10.776 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

It is the policy of the state of Washington that ((~~the essential requirements level budget calculation~~)) state appropriations for institutions of higher education include ((~~enrollment levels~~)) state funding necessary to ((maintain, by educational sector, the participation rate funded in the 1993 fiscal year. The participation rate shall be based on the state's estimated population ages seventeen and above by appropriate age groups)) support official forecasts of enrollment levels in the state's institutions of higher education.

Sec. 4. RCW 28B.10.778 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

Consistent with RCW 28B.10.776, it is the policy of the state of Washington that((~~, for new enrollments provided under RCW 28B.10.776, the essential requirements level budget calculation for those enrollments shall, each biennium~~)) the state appropriations act shall, at a minimum, include a funding level ((per full-time equivalent student that is equal to the rate assumed in the omnibus appropriations act for the last fiscal year of the previous biennium for the instructional, primary support, and library programs, plus an inflation factor. The inflation factor should be equivalent to the inflation factor used to calculate basic education in the common school system budget request submitted by the governor)) for the state's institutions of higher education, in the manner provided in this section.

(1) By November 1st of each year, the office of financial management shall certify to the higher education coordinating board, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the appropriate fiscal and higher education committees of the legislature the student enrollments for the current academic year at the state's institutions of higher education and the official enrollment forecast for each of the two succeeding academic years. The enrollment forecasts shall be based on the most recently available projections of state population and higher education participation rates.

(2) By December 1st of each year, the higher education coordinating board shall determine for the institutions of higher education the cost of any incremental increase in enrollment levels for the next fiscal year as forecast by the office of financial management under subsection (1) of this section. The cost determination shall be based on the undergraduate and graduate educational costs determined by the board under RCW 28B.15.070. The costs for the enrollment increases shall be certified by the board to the office of financial management and the appropriate higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature.

(3) The legislative appropriations to the institutions of higher education shall include the costs certified by the higher education coordinating board as necessary to fund the enrollment levels forecasted under subsection (1) of this section. For each fiscal year after July 1, 1998, ten percent of the incremental amount appropriated for any increased enrollment at each institution of higher education shall not be expended by the institution of higher education until the higher education coordinating board has certified that the institution has achieved the measures of accountability and efficiency established by the board under subsection (4) of this section.

(4) To ensure that the state's commitment of financial resources to higher education will result in effective and efficient expenditures, the higher education coordinating board shall develop measurable standards of higher education accountability and efficiency by January 1, 1998. The standards shall be consistent with the board's comprehensive master plan under RCW 28B.80.330 and shall be adopted in consultation with the institutions of higher education, the state board for community and technical colleges, the appropriate higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature, representative student organizations, and other interested parties. The standards shall include measures of student educational progression, faculty productivity, administrative efficiency, student outcomes, and other educational goals. After adoption by the higher education coordinating board, the standards may be periodically revised and shall constitute state higher education policy unless legislation is enacted to alter the standards adopted by the board.

Sec. 5. RCW 28B.10.784 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

The participation rate used to calculate enrollment levels under RCW 28B.10.776 and ((~~28B.10.782~~)) 28B.10.778 shall be based on fall enrollment reported in the higher education enrollment report as maintained by the office of financial management, fall enrollment as reported in the management information system of the state board for community and technical colleges, and the corresponding fall population forecast by the office of financial management. Formal estimates of the state participation rates and enrollment levels necessary to fulfill the requirements of RCW 28B.10.776 and ((~~28B.10.782~~)) 28B.10.778 shall be determined by the office of financial management as part of its responsibility to develop and maintain student enrollment forecasts for colleges and universities under RCW 43.62.050. Formal estimates of the state participation rates and enrollment levels required by this section shall be based on procedures and standards established by a technical work group consisting of staff from the higher education coordinating board, the public four-year institutions of higher education, the state board for community and technical colleges, the fiscal and higher education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, and the office of financial management. Formal estimates of the state participation rates and enrollment levels required by this section shall be submitted to the fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate on or before November ((~~15th~~)) 1st of each ((~~even-numbered~~)) year. ((The higher education coordinating board shall periodically review the enrollment goals set forth in RCW 28B.10.776 and 28B.10.782 and submit recommendations concerning modification of these goals to the governor and to the higher education committees of the house of representatives and the senate.))

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:

(1) RCW 28B.10.780 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 4;

(2) RCW 28B.10.782 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 5;

(3) RCW 28B.10.786 and 1993 sp.s. c 15 s 7;

(4) RCW 28B.15.065 and 1977 ex.s. c 322 s 6; and

(5) RCW 28B.80.500 and 1989 1st ex.s. c 7 s 2.

MISCELLANEOUS

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. PART HEADINGS NOT LAW. Part headings used in this act are not any part of the law.