H-4266              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1809

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Fox, Unsoeld, Jacobsen, Heavey, Nelson, Crane, Winsley, Anderson, Ebersole and Wang

Read first time 1/27/88 and referred to Committee on Higher Education.

AN ACT Relating to institutions of higher education; amending RCW 28B.15.740; adding a new section to chapter 28B.15 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that a unique educational experience can result from a student attending an out-of-state institution.  It also recognizes that some Washington residents may be unable to pursue such out-of-state enrollment owing to their limited financial resources and the higher cost of nonresident tuition.  The legislature intends to facilitate expanded nonresident enrollment opportunities for residents of the state by authorizing the governing boards of the four-year institutions of higher education to enter into exchange programs with other public four-year institutions of other states, or with a consortium representing such institutions, wherein the participating institutions agree that visiting students will pay resident tuition rates at the host institutions.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:

          The boards of regents of the state universities and the boards of trustees of the regional universities and The Evergreen State College may enter into student exchange agreements with other public four-year institutions of higher education of other states, or a consortium representing such institutions, and agree to charge participating students resident tuition rates subject to the following restrictions:

          (1) In any given academic year, the number of nonresident exchange students receiving nonresident tuition waivers at a state institution, shall not exceed the number of that institution's students receiving nonresident tuition waivers at participating out-of-state institutions.  Waiver imbalances that may occur in one year shall be off-set in the year immediately following.

          (2) Student participation in an exchange program authorized by this section is limited to one calendar year.

        Sec. 3.  Section 1, chapter 262, Laws of 1979 ex. sess. as last amended by section 3, chapter 232, Laws of 1986 and RCW 28B.15.740 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The boards of trustees or regents of each of the state's regional universities, The Evergreen State College, or state universities, and the various community colleges, consistent with regulations and procedures established by the state board for community college education, may waive, in whole or in part, tuition and services and activities fees subject to the limitations set forth in subsection (2).

          (2) The total dollar amount of tuition and fee waivers awarded by any state university, regional university, or state college, shall not exceed four percent, and for the community colleges considered as a whole, such amount shall not exceed three percent of an amount determined by estimating the total collections from tuition and services and activities fees had no such waivers been made and deducting the portion of that total amount which is attributable to the difference between resident and nonresident fees:  PROVIDED, That at least three-fourths of the dollars waived shall be for needy students who are eligible for resident tuition and fee rates pursuant to RCW 28B.15.012 through 28B.15.015:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That the remainder of the dollars waived, not to exceed one-fourth of the total, may be applied to other students at the discretion of the board of trustees or regents, except on the basis of participation in intercollegiate athletic programs:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That the waivers for undergraduate and graduate students of foreign nations under RCW 28B.15.556 are not subject to the limitation under this section:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That waivers for domestic exchange students under section 2 of this 1988 act are not subject to the limitation under this section.