Brief Description: Changing veterans' tuition waiver provisions.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Representatives McCoy, Campbell, Morrell, Chase, Condotta, Hunt, Appleton, Hudgins, Armstrong, Hinkle, Conway, Lantz, Ormsby, Haigh and Upthegrove).

House Committee on Higher Education
Senate Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education

Background:

Within certain limits, institutions may waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for eligible students. For these waivers, known as state-supported waivers, it is assumed that state moneys in the institutions' budgets will offset the tuition not collected from students as a result of granting the waivers. This authority to grant state-supported waivers is capped for each institution at a certain percentage of the total tuition revenue the institution collects. Within its respective percentage caps, each institution decides how to apportion its waiver authority among the various categories of state-supported permissive waivers.

Institutions also have authority to waive tuition on a space-available basis for certain eligible persons. Student attendance under space-available waivers is not counted for budgetary purposes.

In addition to state-supported waivers and space-available waivers, institutions also have authority to waive all or a portion of the tuition operating fee (not the building fee) for any student.

Veteran-Related State-Supported Waiver Authority: State-supported permissive waiver authority includes the authority to waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for certain veterans. Three separate statutes permit state-supported tuition waivers for veterans. One statute permits a waiver for children of a veteran listed as missing in action or a prisoner of war.

• A veteran enrolled on or prior to October 1977 is eligible for a full or partial tuition waiver if he/she no longer is eligible for federal educational or vocational benefits. The Higher Education Coordinating Board reports no veterans currently qualify under this category.
• A veteran of the Vietnam conflict is eligible for a waiver of tuition increases that have occurred since October 1977, if he/she qualifies as a resident student for tuition purposes. For purposes of the waiver, a Vietnam veteran means anyone who served in active federal duty in the armed forces during the period August 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975.
• A veteran of the Persian Gulf combat zone is eligible for a waiver of tuition increases that have occurred after the 1990-91 academic year, if he/she could have qualified as a resident student as of August 1990. For purposes of the waiver, a Persian Gulf veteran means anyone who served on active duty in the armed forces during any portion of 1991 in the Persian Gulf combat zone.
• Children of a veteran listed as missing in action or a prisoner of war are eligible for a waiver of all or a portion of tuition and fees.

Veteran-Related Space-Available Waiver Authority: A veteran of the Korean Conflict is eligible for a waiver of all or a portion of tuition and fees. For purposes of the waiver, a veteran of the Korean Conflict means anyone who served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States during any portion of the period beginning June 27, 1950, and ending January 31, 1955.

Summary:

Tuition waiver authority for all veterans is incorporated into one chapter and the various separate statutes are repealed. State-supported waiver authority is expanded to include the children and spouse, or surviving children and spouse, of eligible veterans and National Guard members. For waiver eligibility purposes, a single definition is created for veterans and National Guard members.

Eligible Veterans and National Guard Members: Eligible veterans and National Guard members means Washington residents who are or were active duty or reserve military members or National Guard members called to active federal service in a war or conflict fought on foreign soil or in international waters or in support of others serving on foreign soil or in international waters. Veterans and National Guard members who have been discharged from active federal service must have received an honorable discharge in order to be eligible for a waiver.

Permissive Waivers: Within state-supported waiver authority, institutions of higher education may waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for:

• an eligible veteran or National Guard member;
• the child or spouse of an eligible veteran or National Guard member who was totally disabled in the line of duty, or who is listed as missing in action or a prisoner of war; and
• the surviving child or spouse of an eligible veteran or National Guard member killed in the line of duty. Upon remarriage, however, the surviving spouse no longer is eligible for a waiver.

Institutions of higher education also may waive all or a portion of tuition and fees for a military or naval veteran who did not serve in active federal service abroad or in support of those serving abroad and who does not qualify as an eligible veteran or National Guard member. For these waivers no State General Fund support is assumed and they are not counted for purposes of an institutions percentage cap on tuition waivers.

Private vocational schools and institutions of higher education are encouraged to provide waivers consistent with those provided by the public institutions.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   96   0
Senate   44   0   (Senate amended)
House   95   0   (House concurred)

Effective: July 24, 2005