The Arizona Board of Regents took positions on seven bills the Arizona Legislature are considering during their second day of meetings at Arizona State University in Tempe on Friday, Feb. 9.
Among the proposed legislation the regents oppose is House Bill 2172, the controversial bill that would prevent any post-secondary educational institute from restricting non-lethal weapons on campus.
The regents support House Bills 2482 and 2475 along with Senate Bill 1215.
House Bill 2482 provides a tuition waiver scholarship for students who were in foster care to attend any of Arizona’s public universities.
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This waiver would apply to students that are residents of Arizona, are at least thirteen years old and either currently in or were adopted from foster care.
House Bill 2475 appropriates $1.446 million from the state general fund to pay for the tuition and fees for Arizona National Guard Members. This appropriation applies in fiscal year 2018-2019.
Senate Bill 1215 continues the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) through July 1, 2026. WICHE is a program that provides three interstate student exchange programs at a discounted rate.
According to WICHE’s website, Arizona joined the pact in 1953, and currently offers all three programs to its students.
Along with House Bill 2172, the regents also oppose House Bill 2280 and Senate Bill 1422.
HB 2280 restricts the board and universities under its control from entering a development agreement or signing a lease agreement to a private lessor for commercial use unless the property in question is used for academic purposes.
The bill would also not allow the board to designate a new research park beyond the borders of a current research park without approval from the state legislature. This same rule applies to expanding a current research park.
It also requires the board to review and approve all leases universities enter into after July 1, 2018 for compliance, not approving of the leases themselves. The board would only be allowed to approve the lease for compliance if there is a link between the “lease and the academic mission of the university.”
According to the board’s press release, “the legislation would restrict the ability of Arizona’s universities to be entrepreneurial and innovative in pursuing alternative ways to fund higher education.”
Senate Bill 1422 would require tuition and fees to be subject to legislative appropriation and given back to each university in their own tuition and fees subaccount.
The bill would also separate tuition for online students by whether or not the student is an Arizona resident.
The regents have taken a neutral position on House Bill 2563, which addresses free speech on both university campuses and community college campuses.
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