Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
                   SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2214
                       Chapter 116, Laws of 2024
                               68th Legislature
                             2024 Regular Session
  WASHINGTON COLLEGE GRANT—ELIGIBILITY—BENEFICIARIES OF PUBLIC
                       ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
                      EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House February 9, 2024                 CERTIFICATE
  Yeas 68 Nays 29
                                       I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
                                       House of Representatives of the
            LAURIE JINKINS             State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of                certify that the attached is SECOND
Representatives                        SUBSTITUTE    HOUSE   BILL   2214 as
                                       passed     by     the     House   of
                                       Representatives and the Senate on
                                       the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate February 29,
2024
  Yeas 28 Nays 20                                    BERNARD DEAN
                                                                    Chief Clerk
              DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 15, 2024 9:47 AM                         FILED
                                                    March 15, 2024
                                               Secretary of State
              JAY INSLEE                       State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
                       SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2214
                   Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
     State of Washington         68th Legislature     2024 Regular Session
     By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives
     Slatter, Bergquist, Chopp, Ramel, Reeves, Paul, Morgan, Gregerson,
     Ormsby, Alvarado, Reed, Fosse, Macri, Goodman, Pollet, Leavitt,
     Timmons, Davis, Riccelli, and Duerr; by request of Student
     Achievement Council)
     READ FIRST TIME 02/05/24.
      AN ACT Relating to permitting beneficiaries of public assistance
  programs to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose
  of receiving the Washington college grant; amending RCW 28B.92.200,
  28B.92.225, and 28B.92.230; and creating a new section.
  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     Sec. 1.   RCW 28B.92.200 and 2022 c 214 s 5 are each amended to
 read as follows:
     (1) The Washington college grant program is created to provide a
 statewide free college program for eligible participants and greater
 access to postsecondary education for Washington residents. The
 Washington college grant program is intended to increase the number
 of high school graduates and adults that can attain a postsecondary
 credential and provide them with the qualifications needed to compete
 for job opportunities in Washington.
     (2) The office shall implement and administer the Washington
 college grant program and is authorized to establish rules necessary
 for implementation of the program.
     (3) The legislature shall appropriate funding for the Washington
 college grant program. Allocations must be made on the basis of
 estimated eligible participants enrolled in eligible institutions of
 higher education or apprenticeship programs. All eligible students
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 are entitled to a Washington college grant beginning in academic year
 2020-21.
     (4) The office shall award Washington college grants to all
 eligible students beginning in academic year 2020-21.
     (5) To be eligible for the Washington college grant, students
 must meet the following requirements:
     (a)(i) Demonstrate financial need under RCW 28B.92.205;
     (ii) Receive one or more of the following types of public
 assistance:
     (A) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits under chapter
 74.62 RCW;
     (B) Essential needs and housing support program benefits under
 RCW 43.185C.220; or
     (C) Pregnant women assistance program financial grants under RCW
 74.62.030; or
     (iii) Be a Washington high school student in the 10th, 11th, or
 12th grade whose parent or legal guardian is receiving one or more of
 the types of public assistance listed in (a)(ii) of this subsection
 and have received a certificate confirming eligibility from the
 office in accordance with RCW 28B.92.225; or
     (iv) Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, be a Washington high
 school student in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who is a member of an
 assistance unit receiving benefits under the Washington basic food
 program in chapter 74.04 RCW or the Washington food assistance
 program established under RCW 74.08A.120;
     (b)(i) Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least three
 quarter credits or the equivalent semester credits at an institution
 of higher education in Washington as defined in RCW 28B.92.030; or
     (ii) Be enrolled in a registered apprenticeship program approved
 under chapter 49.04 RCW;
     (c) Be a resident student as defined in RCW 28B.15.012(2) (a)
 through (e);
     (d) File an annual application for financial aid as approved by
 the office; and
     (e) Must not have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from a
 postsecondary institution.
     (6) Washington college grant eligibility may not extend beyond
 five years or one hundred twenty-five percent of the published length
 of the program in which the student is enrolled or the credit or
 clock-hour equivalent.
                                     p. 2                     2SHB 2214.SL
     (7) Institutional aid administrators shall determine whether a
 student eligible for the Washington college grant in a given academic
 year may remain eligible for the ensuing year if the student's family
 income increases by no more than three percent.
     (8) Qualifications for receipt and renewal include maintaining
 satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an eligible
 program as determined by the office and established in rule.
     (9) Should a recipient terminate his or her enrollment for any
 reason during the academic year, the unused portion of the grant
 shall be returned to the state educational grant fund by the
 institution of higher education according to the institution of
 higher education's policy for issuing refunds, except as provided in
 RCW 28B.92.070.
     (10) An eligible student enrolled on a part-time basis shall
 receive a prorated portion of the Washington college grant for any
 academic period in which he or she is enrolled on a part-time basis.
     (11) The Washington college grant is intended to be used to meet
 the costs of postsecondary education for students with financial
 need. The student shall be awarded all need-based financial aid for
 which the student qualifies as determined by the institution.
     (12) Students and participating institutions of higher education
 shall comply with all the rules adopted by the council for the
 administration of this chapter.
     Sec. 2.   RCW 28B.92.225 and 2022 c 214 s 6 are each amended to
 read as follows:
     (1) The office shall enter into a data-sharing agreement with the
 department of social and health services to facilitate the sharing of
 individual-level data. ((The)) To the extent allowable under state
 and federal law, the department of social and health services shall
 send the office a list of all individuals receiving benefits under
 the public assistance programs listed under RCW 28B.92.200(5) on at
 least an annual basis. The office shall use the list to confirm
 students' eligibility for the Washington college grant program,
 without requiring the student to fill out a separate financial aid
 form. The office may also use the information to conduct outreach
 promoting the Washington college grant.
     (2) For high school students ((in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades
 whose families are receiving benefits under one of the public
 assistance programs listed under RCW 28B.92.200(5))) identified in
                                     p. 3                     2SHB 2214.SL
 RCW 28B.92.200(5)(a) (iii) or (iv), the office shall issue a
 certificate to the student that validates the student's financial
 need eligibility for the Washington college grant program. The
 certificate is good for one year after high school graduation and may
 be used upon enrollment in an eligible institution of higher
 education, provided the student meets the other Washington college
 grant eligibility requirements. The office shall track and maintain
 records of students who were issued certificates under this section
 in order to confirm a student's financial need eligibility with an
 institution of higher education. A student does not need to produce
 the certificate to receive the Washington college grant.
     (3) The office shall notify students whose eligibility for the
 Washington    college     grant    is     established    under    RCW
 28B.92.200(5)(a)(iv) about the importance of submitting a free
 application for federal student aid or a Washington application for
 state financial aid after their first quarter or semester, and each
 year thereafter.
     (4) By December 1, 2026, and each year thereafter, the office
 shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the
 legislature pursuant to RCW 43.01.036 detailing Washington college
 grant participation by students whose eligibility for the grant is
 established under RCW 28B.92.200(5)(a)(iv).
     Sec. 3.   RCW 28B.92.230 and 2022 c 214 s 7 are each amended to
 read as follows:
     The office shall collaborate with the department of social and
 health services to ((facilitate)):
     (1) Facilitate individual-level outreach to individuals receiving
 benefits under the public assistance programs listed under RCW
 28B.92.200(5), temporary assistance for needy families under chapter
 74.08 RCW, the state family assistance program provided for in rule,
 and the basic food program to inform these individuals of their
 eligibility for the Washington college grant program; and
     (2) Notify individuals whose financial need for purposes of
 Washington college grant eligibility has been demonstrated under RCW
 28B.92.200(5)(a)(iv)   that  they   may   establish  eligibility  for
 additional state and federal aid by submitting a free application for
 federal student aid or a Washington application for state financial
 aid.
                                     p. 4                     2SHB 2214.SL
     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 4. If specific funding for the purposes of
 this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not
 provided by June 30, 2024, in the omnibus appropriations act, this
 act is null and void.
        Passed by the House February 9, 2024.
        Passed by the Senate February 29, 2024.
        Approved by the Governor March 15, 2024.
        Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 15, 2024.
                                --- END ---
                                   p. 5                     2SHB 2214.SL
Statutes affected: 
Original Bill: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225
Substitute Bill: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225, 28B.92.230
Second Substitute: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225, 28B.92.230
Bill as Passed Legislature: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225, 28B.92.230
Session Law: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225, 28B.92.230