S-1818.1
SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5736
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Nobles,
Holy, Mullet, Hawkins, Randall, Nguyen, Liias, Boehnke, Conway, Hunt,
Kuderer, Lovelett, Torres, Trudeau, Valdez, and C. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 02/24/23.
1 AN ACT Relating to addressing high demand workforce shortages;
2 and reenacting and amending RCW 43.79.195.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 43.79.195 and 2021 c 334 s 971 and 2021 c 170 s 6
5 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
6 (1) The workforce education investment account is created in the
7 state treasury. All revenues from the workforce investment surcharge
8 created in RCW 82.04.299 and those revenues as specified under RCW
9 82.04.290(2)(c) must be deposited directly into the account. Moneys
10 in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures
11 from the account may be used only for higher education programs,
12 higher education operations, higher education compensation, state-
13 funded student aid programs, and workforce development including
14 career connected learning as defined by RCW 28C.30.020.
15 (2) Beginning in fiscal year 2024, and each year thereafter, an
16 amount up to all revenues collected under RCW 82.04.299 must be used
17 for higher education programs that lead to a credential in advanced
18 computing fields and related science, technology, engineering, and
19 math computing fields to increase access and equity, especially for
20 low-income students and students of color. Expenditures from the
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 1 account under this subsection may be inclusive of the Washington
2 college grant awards of students enrolled in these programs.
3 (3) Beginning January 1, 2025, recipients of funds to create or
4 expand programs that lead to a credential in advanced computing or a
5 related science, technology, engineering, or math computing field
6 under subsection (2) of this section must issue biennial reports to
7 the appropriate committees of the legislature in accordance with RCW
8 43.01.036 and include:
9 (a) A description of recruitment efforts made to underrepresented
10 communities for enrollment in the new or expanded programs;
11 (b) Demographic data for new student enrollments as a result of
12 the program expansion or creation; and
13 (c) The share of students from underrepresented backgrounds as a
14 proportion of all students enrolled in the new or expanded program.
15 (4) Expenditures from the workforce education investment account
16 must be used to supplement, not supplant, other federal, state, and
17 local funding for higher education.
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