Bill would make tuition and fee waiver for students who experienced homelessness mandatory for Nevada public colleges

Assemblymember Howard Watts presented AB397 to the Assembly Committee on Education, a measure to require the Nevada System of Higher Education to provide a tuition-and-fee waiver for students who previously experienced homelessness. The bill would revise prior statute (AB461, enacted in 2019) by changing discretionary language (“may”) to mandatory language (“shall”) and by setting eligibility and verification rules intended to target the waiver to students who the sponsors say face the greatest barriers to enrolling and succeeding in college.

What the bill would require: under the draft presented to the committee, eligible students must be 25 years old or younger, be enrolled as an undergraduate (full- or part-time), have completed the FAFSA (to capture federal and other aid first), have experienced homelessness for at least six months at some point between ages 12 and 25, have received services from a public agency or a community-based organization that assists unaccompanied/homeless youth, and be a Nevada resident. The waiver is described as a “last dollar” program: after students apply available federal and institutional aid, the waiver would cover the remaining tuition and mandatory fees necessary to register for courses; the bill does not propose automatic coverage for books or non-mandatory costs.

Sponsor and supporters’ arguments: Watts and presenters from Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) and youth advocates said the waiver would remove a key barrier for a very small but high-need population. Arash Ghafuri (NPHY) cited state and local studies indicating low participation of college-age youth who have experienced homelessness; NPHY’s analysis presented during the hearing estimated roughly 13 seniors statewide this academic year who would clearly meet the eligibility threshold, with an overall estimate nearer 18 students when broader counts are included. NPHY provided an illustrative institutional breakdown of current-year graduating high-school students estimated to be eligible: 3 at UNLV, 2 at UNR, 1 at Nevada State College, 5 at College of Southern Nevada, 2 at Truckee Meadows Community College, and 0 at Great Basin College and Western Nevada College.

Voices with lived experience: Teresa Butler, a former unaccompanied homeless youth and UNLV Hope Scholar, described how a tuition waiver and locally coordinated supports enabled her to graduate and later obtain employment. Butler urged the committee that “this is not just about degrees and diplomas. It's about lifting young people from uncertainty and allowing them to build something lasting.” Several shelters, advocacy organizations and student groups (ASUN, Eddie House, the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers) testified in favor.

System response and fiscal concerns: Patty Charlton, interim chancellor of NSHE, told the committee NSHE supports the concept but opposed the bill as written because of fiscal concerns and the complexity of multiple fee-waiver proposals under consideration this session. She asked for a collective assessment of fee waivers and urged coordination with the system to preserve institutional fiscal stability. The sponsor said the bill’s last-dollar design is intended to reduce fiscal exposure.

Clarifying program details included in testimony: the waiver would not apply to graduate students; verification would require written confirmation from a qualifying public or community-based organization; the student must be a Nevada resident; the waiver follows FAFSA and other aid, and is intended to cover mandatory registration and related required fees; institutions would follow verification guidance to avoid reliance on student self-attestation alone.

Status and next steps: the committee accepted testimony and closed the hearing on AB397; the transcript records a system-level policy discussion and NSHE’s opposition as written but does not show a committee vote on the bill during the recorded hearing.