SB 5720 -
By Committee on Higher Education
ADOPTED 04/01/2009
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 28B.15.621 and 2008 c 188 s 1 and 2008 c 6 s 501 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The legislature finds that active military and naval veterans,
reserve military and naval veterans, and national guard members called
to active duty have served their country and have risked their lives to
defend the lives of all Americans and the freedoms that define and
distinguish our nation. The legislature intends to honor active
military and naval veterans, reserve military and naval veterans, and
national guard members who have served on active military or naval duty
for the public service they have provided to this country.
(2) Subject to the limitations in RCW 28B.15.910, the governing
boards of the state universities, the regional universities, The
Evergreen State College, and the community colleges, may waive all or
a portion of tuition and fees for an eligible veteran or national guard
member.
(3) The governing boards of the state universities, the regional
universities, The Evergreen State College, and the community colleges,
may waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for a military or naval
veteran who is a Washington domiciliary, but who did not serve on
foreign soil or in international waters or in another location in
support of those serving on foreign soil or in international waters and
who does not qualify as an eligible veteran or national guard member
under subsection (8) of this section. However, there shall be no state
general fund support for waivers granted under this subsection.
(4) Subject to the conditions in subsection (5) of this section and
the limitations in RCW 28B.15.910, the governing boards of the state
universities, the regional universities, The Evergreen State College,
and the community colleges, shall waive all tuition and fees for the
following persons:
(a) A child and the spouse or the domestic partner or surviving
spouse or surviving domestic partner of an eligible veteran or national
guard member who became totally disabled((, as defined in RCW
28B.15.385,)) as a result of serving in active federal military or
naval service, or who is determined by the federal government to be a
prisoner of war or missing in action; and
(b) A child and the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner
of an eligible veteran or national guard member who lost his or her
life as a result of serving in active federal military or naval
service.
(5) The conditions in this subsection (5) apply to waivers under
subsection (4) of this section.
(a) A child must be a Washington domiciliary between the age of
seventeen and twenty-six to be eligible for the tuition waiver. A
child's marital status does not affect eligibility.
(b)(i) A surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner must be a
Washington domiciliary.
(ii) Except as provided in (b)(iii) of this subsection, a surviving
spouse or surviving domestic partner has ten years from the date of the
death, total disability, or federal determination of prisoner of war or
missing in action status of the eligible veteran or national guard
member to receive benefits under the waiver. Upon remarriage or
registration in a subsequent domestic partnership, the surviving spouse
or surviving domestic partner is ineligible for the waiver of all
tuition and fees.
(iii) If a death results from total disability, the surviving
spouse has ten years from the date of death in which to receive
benefits under the waiver.
(c) Each recipient's continued participation is subject to the
school's satisfactory progress policy.
(d) Tuition waivers for graduate students are not required for
those who qualify under subsection (4) of this section but are
encouraged.
(e) Recipients who receive a waiver under subsection (4) of this
section may attend full-time or part-time. Total credits earned using
the waiver may not exceed two hundred quarter credits, or the
equivalent of semester credits.
(6) Required waivers of all tuition and fees under subsection (4)
of this section shall not affect permissive waivers of tuition and fees
under subsection (3) of this section.
(7) Private vocational schools and private higher education
institutions are encouraged to provide waivers consistent with the
terms in subsections (2) through (5) of this section.
(8) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this
section.
(a) "Child" means a biological child, adopted child, or stepchild.
(b) "Eligible veteran or national guard member" means a Washington
domiciliary who was an active or reserve member of the United States
military or naval forces, or a national guard member called to active
duty, who served in active federal service, under either Title 10 or
Title 32 of the United States Code, in a war or conflict fought on
foreign soil or in international waters or in another location in
support of those serving on foreign soil or in international waters,
and if discharged from service, has received an honorable discharge.
(((b))) (c) "Totally disabled" means a person who has been
determined to be one hundred percent disabled by the federal department
of veterans affairs.
(((c))) (d) "Washington domiciliary" means a person whose true,
fixed, and permanent house and place of habitation is the state of
Washington. "Washington domiciliary" includes a person who is residing
in rental housing or residing in base housing. In ascertaining whether
a child or surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner is domiciled
in the state of Washington, public institutions of higher education
shall, to the fullest extent possible, rely upon the standards provided
in RCW 28B.15.013.
(9) As used in subsection (4) of this section, "fees" includes all
assessments for costs incurred as a condition to a student's full
participation in coursework and related activities at an institution of
higher education.
(10) The governing boards of the state universities, the regional
universities, The Evergreen State College, and the community colleges
shall report to the higher education committees of the legislature by
November 15, 2010, and every two years thereafter, regarding the status
of implementation of the waivers under subsection (4) of this section.
The reports shall include the following data and information:
(a) Total number of waivers;
(b) Total amount of tuition waived;
(c) Total amount of fees waived;
(d) Average amount of tuition and fees waived per recipient;
(e) Recipient demographic data that is disaggregated by distinct
ethnic categories within racial subgroups; and
(f) Recipient income level, to the extent possible."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Retains all provisions in the underlying bill except that it removes the statutory reference to the definition of "totally disabled."