AN ACT Relating to decoupling services and activities fees from tuition; and reenacting and amending RCW 28B.15.069.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 28B.15.069 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 4 s 945 and 2013 3rd sp.s. c 36 s 5 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) The building fee for each academic year shall be a percentage of total tuition fees. This percentage shall be calculated by the office of financial management and be based on the actual percentage the building fee is of total tuition for each tuition category in the 1994-95 academic year, rounded up to the nearest half percent. After October 9, 2015, the dollar value of the building fee shall not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year adjusted for inflation. As used in this subsection, "inflation" has the meaning in RCW 28B.15.066(2).

(2) The governing boards of each institution of higher education, except for the technical colleges, shall charge to and collect from each student a services and activities fee. A governing board may increase the existing fee annually, consistent with budgeting procedures set forth in RCW 28B.15.045, ((by a percentage not to exceed the annual percentage increase in student tuition fees for resident undergraduate students: PROVIDED, That such percentage increase shall not apply to that portion of the services and activities fee previously committed to the repayment of bonded debt. These rate adjustments may exceed the fiscal growth factor. For the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium, each governing board is authorized to increase the services and activities fees)) by amounts judged reasonable and necessary by the services and activities fee committee and the governing board ((consistent with the budgeting procedures set forth in RCW 28B.15.045)). The services and activities fee committee provided for in RCW 28B.15.045 may initiate a request to the governing board for a fee increase.

(3) Tuition and services and activities fees consistent with subsection (2) of this section shall be set by the state board for community and technical colleges for community college summer school students unless the community college charges fees in accordance with RCW 28B.15.515.

(4) Subject to the limitations of RCW 28B.15.910, each governing board of a community college may charge such fees for ungraded courses, noncredit courses, community services courses, and self-supporting courses as it, in its discretion, may determine, consistent with the rules of the state board for community and technical colleges.

(5) The governing board of a college offering an applied baccalaureate degree program under RCW 28B.50.810 may charge tuition fees for those courses above the associate degree level at rates consistent with rules adopted by the state board for community and technical colleges, not to exceed tuition fee rates at the regional universities.

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