Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

S-4541.2
                           SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6300
     State of Washington         68th Legislature        2024 Regular Session
     By Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally
     sponsored by Senators Randall, Nobles, Kuderer, Lovelett, Shewmake,
     Stanford, and Valdez; by request of Student Achievement Council)
     READ FIRST TIME 01/31/24.
      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; and amending RCW
  28B.92.200 and 28B.92.225.
  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;
     (D) Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, Washington basic food
 program benefits under chapter 74.04 RCW;
     (E) Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, Washington food
 assistance program benefits under RCW 74.08A.120; or
     (F) Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, apple health coverage
 under chapter 74.09 RCW with a family income at or below 210 percent
 of the federal poverty line; ((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);
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     (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.
     (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 federal
 law, the department of social and health services and the health care
 authority shall send the office a list of all individuals receiving
 benefits under the public assistance programs listed under RCW
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 28B.92.200(5) on at least an annual basis. This data-sharing
 requirement does not preempt federal laws prohibiting disclosure of
 data for the purposes of this section. 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 or more of the public
 assistance programs listed under RCW 28B.92.200(5), 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.
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Statutes affected: 
Original Bill: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225
Substitute Bill: 28B.92.200, 28B.92.225