SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 2022

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

              Higher Education, February 18, 2000

Title:  An act relating to expanding the national guard scholarship program.

Brief Description:  Expanding the national guard scholarship program.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Schindler, Sullivan, Bush, Lantz, Mielke, Lovick, Cairnes, Hurst, Kastama, McDonald, Esser, Conway, Campbell, Benson and D. Schmidt).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Higher Education:  2/18/2000 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Kohl-Welles, Chair; Shin, Vice Chair; Jacobsen, McAuliffe, Sheahan and B. Sheldon.

Staff:  Jean Six (786-7423)

Background:  The Legislature created the National Guard Scholarship Program in 1994.  Under this program, members of the Washington National Guard may receive a conditional scholarship that cannot exceed the annual cost of undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of Washington, plus an allowance for books and supplies.  The scholarship is dependent upon the recipient serving in the National Guard for one additional year for each year of conditional scholarship received.  Failure to meet the service requirements results in an obligation to repay the conditional scholarship, with interest.

An eligible student is currently defined as an enlisted member or an officer of the rank of captain or below in the Washington National Guard who:  (1) is a resident student as defined in RCW 28B.15.012; and (2) attends an institution of higher education in Washington that is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.

This scholarship program is administered by the Office of the Adjutant General of the Military Department.  The Legislature appropriated $75,000 in FY 2000 and $75,000 in FY 2001 from the general fund solely for implementation of this conditional scholarship program.

Summary of Bill:  The eligibility requirements for the National Guard Conditional Scholarship Program are modified.  An eligible student is defined as an enlisted member or an officer of the rank of captain or below in the Washington National Guard who attends an institution of higher education located in the state that is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.  A student no longer needs to be a resident as defined in RCW 28B.15.012 to be eligible.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  Many members of the National Guard are nonresidents but they provide the same service and perform the same duties as the resident members.  They do respond to Washington emergencies.  Because they serve Washington, they have no benefits in their home state.  Twenty-five percent of the Spokane unit are nonresidents.  It is a linguist unit and must find language experts and sometimes they come from another state.  We recruit in Idaho, Oregon and Montana.

Because the Guard is a competitive environment, there is very high interest in this opportunity to obtain postsecondary education.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Representative Schindler, prime sponsor; Rick Read, Carol Seger, Kenneth Circle, WA National Guard.