HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1016

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Higher Education

Title:  An act relating to a pilot project on resident tuition rates for students residing in certain border counties.

Brief Description:  Creating the border county higher education opportunity pilot project.

Sponsors:  Representatives Carlson, Ogden, Kenney, Boldt, Pennington, Dunn, Hatfield, Doumit, Mielke, Talcott and Lantz.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Higher Education:  1/20/99, 2/5/99 [DPS].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Creates the border county higher education opportunity pilot project.

$Residents of the four Oregon counties of Columbia, Multnomah, Clatsop, and Washington may enroll at Grays Harbor Community College, Lower Columbia Community College or Clark Community College and pay resident tuition rates.

$Residents of the same four Oregon counties may enroll at WSU-Vancouver for eight credits or less and pay resident tuition rates.

$The Higher Education Coordinating Board administers and evaluates the pilot project, making a report to the Legislature by November 30, 2001.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 7 members:  Representatives Carlson, Republican Co-Chair; Kenney, Democratic Co-Chair; Lantz, Democratic Vice Chair; Radcliff, Republican Vice Chair; Dunn; Edmonds and Esser.

Staff:  Sherie Story (786-7120).

Background:

With some exceptions, students who move to Washington or commute from a border state in order to attend a public college or university, are charged a much higher tuition rate than Washington residents.

The definitions for resident and nonresident students are determined by law.  Resident students who are dependents must be able to prove that their parents or guardians have been domiciled in the state for at least one year before the students enroll in college.  Independent students must meet the same test themselves. 

The state of Oregon has recently made tuition policy changes that affect students living in the border counties of Washington.  Nonresident students may enroll at Portland State University for eight credits or less and pay the same tuition as Oregon residents.  Community colleges in Oregon set their own tuition rates.  There are three community colleges in the bordering Oregon counties of Multnomah, Clatsop and Columbia: Portland Community College in Portland, Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, and Clatsop Community College in Astoria.  Portland Community College and Clatsop Community College charge both residents and nonresidents the same tuition.  Mt. Hood Community College charges an additional $10 per credit for nonresidents. 

The four Washington counties that border the three Oregon counties of Multnomah, Clatsop and Columbia are Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific counties.  There are three Washington community colleges that offer programs in these counties: Clark College in Vancouver, Lower Columbia College in Longview, and Grays Harbor College extension programs in Pacific County.  Washington State University Vancouver, located in Clark County, offers upper division baccalaureate and graduate degree programs.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The border county higher education opportunity pilot project is created.  Under the pilot project, residents of Oregon, who have resided in Columbia, Multnomah, Clatsop or Washington counties for at least 90 days, are eligible to pay resident tuition rates if they enroll in community college programs located in the Washington counties of Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, or Pacific.  Residents of the four Oregon counties that enroll in courses at the Vancouver branch of Washington State University for eight credits or less may do so at the resident tuition rates.  Participating Washington institutions are required to give priority program enrollment to Washington residents.

The pilot project is administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB).  By November 30, 2001, the board shall report to the Governor and the Legislature on the results of the pilot project and make recommendations on the extent to which border county tuition policies should be revised or expanded.  For each participating institution, the HECB is required to analyze, by program, the impact of the pilot project on: enrollment levels, distribution of students by residency, and enrollment capacity.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The Washington county of Wahkiakum and the Oregon counties of Clatsop and Washington are added as participating pilot counties.  Participating Washington institutions are required to give priority program enrollment to Washington residents.  For each participating institution, the HECB is required to analyze, by program, the impact of the pilot project on: enrollment levels, distribution of students by residency, and enrollment capacity.  Section 6 amending the State Work Study statute is deleted.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  (Original bill) The increasing demand for higher education, coupled with limited resources, requires some creative solutions to providing higher education. Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver has been talking to Portland State University (PSU) about finding regional solutions to common needs.  There are numerous opportunities to develop regional solutions to the higher education needs of both southwest Washington and the Portland metropolitan area.  For example, if the two institutions were able to combine program planning, then WSU Vancouver could rely on PSU's expertise in urban and regional planning and PSU could rely on WSU Vancouver's expertise in local government, thus strengthening WSU Vancouver's degree programs in Public Affairs and strengthening PSU's programs in Urban and Public Affairs.

The primary impediments in developing regional solutions to higher education demands are the states' differing policies concerning out-of-state tuition.  Portland State University does not charge out-of-state tuition for Washington residents who register for eight credit hours or less.  This is a major benefit to Washington citizens.  More than 400 Washington citizens are taking advantage of this policy.  Washington, however, does charge out-of-state tuition to Oregon students.

HB1016 proposes to match the out-of-state tuition policy that Oregon currently offers to Washington citizens.  It would provide an opportunity for WSU Vancouver to develop joint programs with Oregon institutions.  Clark College supports HB 1016 because it aligns Washington's policies with Oregon's.  This will allow the two states to plan regionally.  Clark College would like to see Washington County in Oregon added to the bill because Beaverton, which is a major suburb of Portland, is actually in Washington County and in that instance it is the county line creating an artificial barrier for students.  The presidents of the three community colleges affected by this bill all strongly support it.  It is crucial that rules that relate to students along the border be comparable, and we lost that when Oregon changed its policies.  Grays Harbor College has a long standing relationship with Clatsop Community College.  We would like to see the Oregon county of Clatsop included in the bill.  Grays Harbor College has a small program in Ilwaco, but it is difficult to maintain.  This bill would allow us to strengthen our small program in Ilwaco.  The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is in support of HB 1016 as a creative solution to meeting the needs of students regionally.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  (Original Bill) Hal Dengerink, Washington State University Vancouver;  Linda Calvert, Clark College; Jewell Manspeaker, Grays Harbor College; and Jan Yoshiwara, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.