HOUSE BILL REPORT
SSB 6640
As Reported by House Committee On:
Higher Education
Title: An act relating to classifying members of the Washington national guard as resident students.
Brief Description: Classifying members of the Washington national guard as resident students.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Rasmussen, Swecker, Snyder, Jacobsen, Franklin, Kohl‑Welles, Winsley and Roach).
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Higher Education: 2/27/02 [DPA].
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Brief Summary of Substitute Bill (As Amended by House Committee) |
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$Allows any member of the Washington National Guard residency in-state to qualify for in-state tuition rates.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 8 members: Representatives Kenney, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Cox, Ranking Minority Member; Chase, Gombosky, Jarrett, Lantz and Skinner.
Staff: Antonio Sanchez (786‑7383).
Background:
Some Washington National Guard personnel live in the neighboring states of Oregon and Idaho at the same time they are serving in Washington National Guard. Under current law, person serving in the Washington National Guard who live outside of the state of Washington are required to pay out-of-state tuition if they attend a school in Washington. Currently, the only military personnel who are exempted from the one year residency requirement for in-state tuition are active duty military personnel stationed in the state of Washington. Their spouses and dependents can also quality for in-state tuition.
The Air National Guard has 92 members who reside in the state of Idaho due to their civilian employment. However, Washington National Guard offers them the opportunity to work in areas that may not be available in the Idaho Guard such as flying large cargo planes or re-fueling jets. According to the Washington State National Guard some guard members are interested in attending school in the Spokane and Pullman area but are deterred due to the out-of-state tuition rates.
There are a number of reasons we have people in the Army or Air National Guard in Washington and residing elsewhere. Some national guard members may have started their career with Washington and wish to stay in their respective unit and continue the job they are qualified for (and then they subsequently move to another state for their civilian employment). An example is a member moving from Washington to Portland, Oregon due to civilian employment.
Also the national guard units in neighboring states may not be as conveniently located where the individual resides. For example, a member lives in Portland and the nearest unit for their occupational specialty is either in Burn, Oregon or Vancouver, Washington. The Washington unit would be closer for them for weekend training and commuting. In addition, the Washington National Guard offers opportunities that are not available in the other states such as the ability to use their expertise as pilots and fly for the Washington Air National Guard out of the Spokane unit.
Under the Border County Pilot Project enacted by the 1999 Legislature and modified by the 2001 Legislature, residents in several Oregon counties located near the border of Washington are eligible until June 30, 2002, to pay resident tuition at Clark College, Lower Columbia Community College, Grays Harbor Community College, and at the Washington State University branch campus in Vancouver.
Summary of Amended Bill:
Any member of the Washington National Guard who resides in Washington may qualify as a resident student for in-state tuition-.
Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:
The substitute bill allows any member of the Washington National Guard to qualify as a resident student for tuition purposes.--
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Amended Bill: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: By allowing all national guard personnel to have in-state tuition they will want to stay in our state and in our national guard. It is a good recruiting tool for our state. It will help retain our best and brightest.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: Senator Rasmussen, prime sponsor; Colonel Rick Patterson, Washington National Guard; and Russ Carver, Washington Student Lobby.