BILL REQ. #:  S-0541.1 

Read first time 01/12/09.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to higher education tuition and fees; and amending RCW 28B.15.069.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.15.069 and 2005 c 258 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the building fee for each academic year shall be a percentage of total tuition fees. This percentage shall be calculated by the higher education coordinating board and be based on the actual percentage the building fee is of total tuition for each tuition category in the 1994-95 academic year, rounded up to the nearest half percent.
     (b) The University of Washington may establish the building fee for each academic year.
     (2) The governing boards of each institution of higher education, except for the technical colleges, shall charge to and collect from each student a services and activities fee. A governing board may increase the existing fee annually, consistent with budgeting procedures set forth in RCW 28B.15.045, by a percentage not to exceed the annual percentage increase in student tuition fees for resident undergraduate students: PROVIDED, That such percentage increase shall not apply to that portion of the services and activities fee previously committed to the repayment of bonded debt. These rate adjustments may exceed the fiscal growth factor. For the 2003-04 academic year, the services and activities fee shall be based upon the resident undergraduate services and activities fee in 2002-03. The services and activities fee committee provided for in RCW 28B.15.045 may initiate a request to the governing board for a fee increase.
     (3) Tuition and services and activities fees consistent with subsection (2) of this section shall be set by the state board for community and technical colleges for community college summer school students unless the community college charges fees in accordance with RCW 28B.15.515.
     (4) Subject to the limitations of RCW 28B.15.910, each governing board of a community college may charge such fees for ungraded courses, noncredit courses, community services courses, and self-supporting courses as it, in its discretion, may determine, consistent with the rules of the state board for community and technical colleges.
     (5) The governing board of a college offering an applied baccalaureate degree program under RCW 28B.50.810 may charge tuition fees for those courses above the associate degree level at rates consistent with rules adopted by the state board for community and technical colleges, not to exceed tuition fee rates at the regional universities.