(1) The legislature finds that certain tuition policies in Oregon state are more responsive to the needs of students living in economic regions that cross the state border than the Washington state policies. Under Oregon policy, students who are Washington residents may enroll at Portland State University for eight credits or less and pay the same tuition as Oregon residents. Further, the state of Oregon passed legislation in 1997 to begin providing to its community colleges the same level of state funding for students residing in bordering states as students residing in Oregon.

(2) The legislature intends to build on the recent Oregon initiatives regarding tuition policy for students in bordering states and to facilitate regional planning for higher education delivery by creating a project on resident tuition rates in Washington counties that border Oregon state.