This morning members of the Washington House Higher Education Committee took a break from the floor. The Committee held a work session on innovations in higher education and a public hearing.
The Committee heard two bills – HB 1816 and HB 1551.
House Bill 1816 is another bill that would look to restructure the current relationship between state funding, tuition, and financial aid for higher education in Washington. The bill suggests restructuring funding for higher education in the following ways:
- Establishes a state funding/tuition balance for resident undergraduate and graduate students based on the cost of attendance and prohibits over-enrollment.
- Eliminates Global Challenge States as a comparison model for funding.
- Eliminates the role of the Higher Education Coordinating Board with respect to financial aid, eliminates state financial aid programs, and transfers responsibility for financial aid to the individual institutions.
- Creates an internship program for which businesses may get a Business and Occupation tax credit based upon the salaries and benefits paid to interns.
- Establishes a new loan program for upper division undergraduates and graduate students.
- Requires students pursuing a bachelor’s degree to take a Rising Juniors test.
- Directs adoption of articulation and transfer policies and establishes financial penalties for failure to meet the statutory implementation deadline.
- Allows school districts to be charged for the cost of remedial education required by their students.
- Abolishes the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, and transfers responsibilities to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The Council of Presidents testified in support of continuing discussions about the relationship between state funding, financial aid, and tuition but with concerns regarding specifics in the bill such as the proposed distribution of financial aid in the bill and transfer policy.
The Committee also heard House Bill 1551 which would add regional universities and community and technical college Centers of Excellence to the membership of the Washington Technology Center and eliminates the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute and transfers its functions to the Washington Technology Center.