Today marks the halfway point to the next major deadline this session. By end of day on Friday, bills that have been sent to an appropriation committee must advance from committee to their respective floor for further consideration.

This afternoon the House Appropriations heard testimony on legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704) and the UW/WSU medical school legislation (HB 1559). Tomorrow the House Appropriations committee will hear a few more higher education bills including:

• HB 1696: Returns tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students to the operating budget
• HB 1812: Requires WSAC to design and implement a program that provides information to high-achieving, low-income high school studetns to increase applications from these students to public and independent, non-profit baccalaureate institutions in Washington
• HB 2041: Establishes a performance based pilot project within the State Need Grant program.

In the afternoon the Senate Ways & Means Committee is expected to take executive action on several higher education bills, including:

• SB 5954: Creates the College Affordability Program (CAP). Removes tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students for the public baccalaureate institutions. Beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, tuition fees for resident undergraduates must be no more than the following: for community and technical colleges, 6 percent of the state’s average wage; for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College, 10 percent of the state’s average wage; and for the research universities, 14 percent of the state’s average wage. Beginning with the 2015-17 operating budget, the Legislature must appropriate to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and each four-year institution of higher education an amount that is at least equal to the total state funds appropriated in the 2013-15 biennium plus the reduction in revenues from resident undergraduate tuition operating fees received for the 2015-17 fiscal biennium under this act, adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the dollar value of the building fee must not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year, adjusted for inflation.
• SB 5851: Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.
• SB 5561: A child of a veteran or National Guard member is eligible for a full tuition waiver at a Washington State institution of higher education if one of the child’s parents became totally disabled as a result of active service, was a prisoner of war, or lost their life as a result of serving in active duty, and the child: is a Washington domiciliary between the age of 17 and 26; or meets one of eight federal requirements for receiving education assistance.
• SB 5547: SNG recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for renewal, unless the student attends The Evergreen State College (TESC). Students enrolled at TESC must meet the requirements of the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy to remain
  eligible for the SNG program.
• SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.