S-986                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5717

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators Talmadge and Fleming

Read first time 2/3/89 and referred to Committee on  Higher Education.

AN ACT Relating to graduate school tuition; amending RCW 28B.15.740; and adding new sections to chapter 28B.15 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) The legislature intends to promote diversity among graduate students generally including those who undertake professional studies to eliminate the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in graduate and professional programs and to enrich the education of students generally, through their exposure to the ideas of those previously unable to pursue advanced studies.

          (2) The board of regents or trustees of each of the state's regional universities, The Evergreen State College, or state universities may waive tuition and fees for minority students pursuing graduate and professional degrees.  Minority students are defined as persons from racial backgrounds that have traditionally been discriminated against because of their race, color, heritage, or national origin.  Only persons who are United States citizens or permanent residents are eligible under RCW 28B.15.740 and sections 1 and 2 of this act.

          (3) The higher education coordinating board shall prepare a report biannually which shall include an evaluation of the tuition waiver program, a student progress tracking report, and a recommendation on funding for the next biennium.

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

          The board of regents or trustees of each of the state's regional universities, The Evergreen State College, or state universities may waive the tuition and services and activities fees for graduate and professional minority students subject to the following limitations:

          (1) A pilot program of six hundred graduate and professional students shall be initiated.  The amount of total waivers awarded at the state's regional universities, The Evergreen State College, and state universities shall be based on a proportion of individual institution graduate and professional student enrollment to total graduate and professional student enrollment.

          (2) No more than the equivalent of half of these waivers may be awarded to nonresident minority students;

          (3) Priority shall be given to minority students that are enrolled in graduate and professional programs of study where they have traditionally been underrepresented.

        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) of this section.

          (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 and minority students provided under sections 1 and 2 of this act are not subject to the limitation under this section.