(1) The governing board of an institution of higher education as defined in RCW
28B.10.016 may impose either a voluntary or a mandatory transportation fee on employees and on students at the institution. The board of regents of Washington State University may impose either a voluntary or a mandatory transportation fee on faculty and staff working at the Riverpoint higher education park and on students attending classes there. The transportation fee shall be used solely to fund transportation demand management programs that reduce the demand for campus and neighborhood parking, and promote alternatives to single-occupant vehicle driving. If the board charges a mandatory transportation fee to students, it shall charge a mandatory transportation fee to employees. The transportation fee for employees may exceed, but shall not be lower than the transportation fee charged to students. The transportation fee for employees may be deducted from the employees' paychecks. The transportation fee for students may be imposed annually, or each academic term. For students attending community colleges and technical colleges, the mandatory transportation fee shall not exceed sixty percent of the maximum rate permitted for services and activities fees at community colleges, unless, through a vote, a majority of students consent to increase the transportation fee. For students attending four-year institutions of higher education or classes at the Riverpoint higher education park, the mandatory transportation fee shall not exceed thirty-five percent of the maximum rate permitted for services and activities fees at the institution where the student is enrolled unless, through a vote, a majority of students consents to increase the transportation fee. The board may make a limited number of exceptions to the fee based on a policy adopted by the board.
(2) The board of regents of Washington State University shall not impose a transportation fee on any student who is already paying a transportation fee to the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled.