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Hearing on AB 532: NSHE proposes changes to fee‑waiver program; tribal leaders and students urge preservation of current Native American waiver
Summary
The Nevada System of Higher Education presented an amendment to AB 532 that would standardize fee waivers and limit reductions by excluding federal gift aid from waiver offsets, but tribal leaders, students and educators testified strongly in opposition—saying the changes would remove first‑dollar status for Native American waivers, exclude non‑c
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), represented by Chancellor Patty Charlton and staff, presented a proposed amendment to AB 532 seeking to standardize fee waivers across NSHE institutions and to address rising waiver costs.
Sponsor/agency presentation: Chancellor Patty Charlton said NSHE’s preference is to keep waivers fully funded and unchanged but that, given budget constraints, the system developed an amendment intended to create a more consistent, sustainable approach. NSHE staff explained that total waived fees have grown in recent years (from about $3.5 million in one year to $7.5 million in the most recent full year reported) and that the amendment is intended to focus waiver offsets on state aid rather than all gift aid, preserve some protections for currently enrolled students and include certificate programs in eligible programs of study. The NSHE proposal uses satisfactory academic progress (SAP) rather than a single‑semester GPA threshold and allows currently enrolled waiver recipients to continue under the existing rules through July 1, 2029 if continuously enrolled.
What the amendment would change (agency summary):
- Reduce waiver value by state financial aid only (rather than by all gift aid), so federal aid such as Pell Grants would not reduce the waiver, according to the amendment’s description.
- Explicitly include credit‑bearing certificate programs through master’s degrees but exclude doctoral and professional degrees from the waiver set (the amendment proposes the waiver cover certificates, associates, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs).
- Require consistency in how board‑approved waivers and legislatively authorized waivers are handled and include a transition window for currently enrolled students (those receiving waivers between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025 may continue under old rules through July 1, 2029 if continuously enrolled).
Public testimony and tribal opposition: Dozens of speakers—including tribal leaders, Native students, tribal organization representatives and tribal education advocates—testified in strong opposition. Key concerns raised by tribal witnesses and students:
- The Native American fee waiver was created to remove barriers for tribal students; making the waiver “last dollar” (i.e., applied after other scholarships/grants) would harm students who rely on scholarships and grants for housing, food and other living costs.
- Excluding doctoral and professional programs and noncredit or some workforce programs would limit professional pipeline development (doctors, lawyers, counselors) and vocational training that tribal communities need.
- Tribes and tribal advocates said there was inadequate tribal consultation on the proposed changes and asked NSHE and the Legislature to pause changes until consultation occurs.
- Multiple tribal speakers described personal or family financial hardship and said the waiver’s first‑dollar status and inclusion of certificate and professional programs made attendance possible.
Agency responses and technical points: NSHE representatives said their proposal aimed to preserve access for low‑income students while making waiver programs financially sustainable; they noted that, depending on design, some noncredit programs are self‑supporting and that waiving fees for those programs can jeopardize program viability. NSHE staff offered to continue consultation and indicated the population and fiscal modeling used different academic years for different calculations.
What the committee did: This was a hearing and the committee recorded extensive testimony, both supportive and opposed; committee chairs paused or recessed several times because of connection issues during the long hearing. No committee vote was recorded in the excerpted transcript. Stakeholders requested additional consultation and technical amendments; several committee members asked NSHE for clearer data on waiver recipients and fiscal modeling (e.g., the proportion of Native American waiver recipients who are Nevada tribal members).
Provenance: Sponsor presentation and wide public testimony are recorded in the transcript section where the committee opened AB 532 and heard NSHE staff and numerous tribal leaders, students and advocates.
