Passed by the House January 24, 2014 Yeas 86 Nays 11 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 7, 2014 Yeas 49 Nays 0 ________________________________________ President of the Senate		CERTIFICATE I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1669 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED Secretary of State State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to self-supporting, fee-based programs at four-year institutions of higher education; and adding a new section to chapter 28B.15 RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) When a decision is being considered to change an existing degree program that is supported by state funding to a program that is self-supporting and fee-based, the state universities, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College shall:
     (a) Publicly notify prospective students, including notification in admission offers with an estimate of tuition and fees;
     (b) Notify enrolled students and undergraduate or graduate student government associations at least six months before implementation with an estimate of tuition and fees; and
     (c) Allow students currently enrolled in the program to continue in the state-supported program structure for a consecutive amount of time no greater than four years in length;
     (2)(a) The state universities, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College shall each establish or designate a committee comprised of administrators, faculty, and students to create criteria upon which to evaluate, prior to a shift being made, the proposed shift of a degree program from a state-supported degree program to a self-supporting funding basis. Where possible, an existing budget or advisory committee shall be designated instead of establishing a new committee. When establishing evaluation criteria, the committee shall consider including the following:
     (i) The financial health and sustainability of the program;
     (ii) If moving the program to a self-supporting funding basis alters the availability of student financial aid;
     (iii) The audience for the program, the format of the program, and the institutional priority for state funding of the program;
     (iv) Demographics of students served and graduates practicing in typical fields of study; and
     (v) Alternatives to shifting to a self-supporting funding basis including raising tuition within the state-funded context or program elimination;
     (b) The committee that creates the criteria for moving a degree from a state-supported degree program to a self-supporting funding basis may also establish a process to periodically evaluate programs that have shifted from a state-supported program to a fee-based funding model for alignment with criteria established.