Higher education; in-state tuition.

Higher education; in-state tuition. Provides that ifthe Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U), aspublished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor,from January 1 through December 31 of the year immediately preceding theaffected academic year, is less than or equal to zero, no governing board of abaccalaureate public institution of higher education shall increase thein-state tuition rate charged to undergraduate students for such academic year.The bill provides that if the CPI-U is greater than zero, (i) the governingboard of a baccalaureate public institution of higher education at which thein-state tuition rate charged to undergraduate students does not meet or exceedthe average undergraduate tuition rate across all baccalaureate publicinstitutions of higher education may increase the in-state tuition rate in anamount not to exceed the product of the CPI-U and the average undergraduatetuition rate across all baccalaureate public institutions of higher educationand (ii) the governing board of a baccalaureate public institution of highereducation at which the in-state tuition rate charged to undergraduate studentsmeets or exceeds the average undergraduate tuition rate across allbaccalaureate public institutions of higher education may increase the in-statetuition rate at a percentage not to exceed the CPI-U. The bill also providesthat the foregoing provisions shall apply to the Virginia Community CollegeSystem if the tuition charged to any Virginia student at a comprehensivecommunity college meets or exceeds the lowest in-state tuition rate charged toundergraduate students at a baccalaureate public institution of highereducation.