Brief Description: Waiving tuition and fees for veterans of the Korean conflict.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Benton, Swecker, Kohl-Welles, Shin, Stevens, Oke, Roach and Winsley).

Hearing Date: 3/25/03

Staff: Sydney Forrester (786-7120).

Background:

Institutions have authority to waive all or a portion of the tuition operating fee for any student for any reason, and to waive all or a portion of tuition and fees on a space available basis for certain students (state employees, members of the Washington National Guard, persons age 60 and over, and long-term unemployed or underemployed persons). For these discretionary and space-available waivers, the institutions receive no state funding to offset foregone tuition revenue.

In additional to discretionary and space-available waivers, institutions may waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for eligible students, and may receive general fund support to offset the tuition not collected from students as a result of granting the waivers. State-supported waiver authority is capped for each institution at a certain percentage of the total tuition revenue the institution collects, and each institution decides how to apportion its waiver authority among the various eligible categories.

Three separate statutes currently provide state-supported tuition waiver eligibility for certain veterans.

•    Four-year institutions may waiver of all or a portion of tuition for a veteran enrolled on or prior to October 1977 if he/she no longer is eligible for federal educational or vocational benefits. For purposes of the waiver, a "veteran" means anyone honorably discharged who served during: WWI; WWII; the Korean conflict; the Vietnam era; Persian Gulf War; crisis in Lebanon; invasion of Grenada; Panama, Operation Just Cause; Somalia, Operation Restore Hope; Haiti, Operation Uphold Democracy; and Bosnia, Operation Joint Endeavor, or during any future period of war as declared by Congress. The Higher Education Coordinating Board reports no veterans currently are receiving a waiver under this category, probably because no one qualifies.

•    All institutions may waive, for a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, all or a portion of tuition increases since October 1977, if the veteran qualifies as a resident student for tuition purposes. For purposes of the waiver, a "Vietnam veteran" means anyone on active federal service in the armed forces during the period August 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975.

•    All institutions may waive, for a veteran of the Persian Gulf combat zone, all or a portion oftuition increases after the 1990-91 academic year, if the veteran could have qualified as a resident student as of August 1990. For purposes of the waiver, a "Persian Gulf veteran" means anyone serving on active duty in the armed forces during any portion of 1991 in the Persian Gulf combat zone.

Summary of Bill:

Certain legislative findings are made regarding military and naval veterans and a legislative intent is stated to honor veterans of the Korean conflict. Space-available waiver authority is granted to the state and regional universities, The Evergreen State College, and the community and technical colleges to waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for veterans of the Korean conflict. Enrollment under this authority is permitted on a space-available basis only. No new courses may be created and students are not included in official enrollment figures affecting budgetary determinations. A registration fee of not less than five dollars must be charged. For purposes of the waiver, a "veteran of the Korean conflict" means anyone who served on active duty in the armed forces during any portion of the period June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not Requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.