SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5820

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As of February 20, 2017

Title: An act relating to financial assistance.

Brief Description: Concerning financial aid at institutions of higher education.

Sponsors: Senators Wilson, Bailey, Rossi and Zeiger.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Higher Education: 2/16/17.

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Changes the award criteria and methods of disbursement for the State Need Grant program.

  • Establishes a minimum grade point average requirement for continued eligibility for State Need Grant awards.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Staff: Clint McCarthy (786-7319)

Background: ​The State Need Grant. The State Need Grant (SNG) program assists low-income, needy, and disadvantaged students by offsetting a portion of their higher education costs. To be eligible, a student must come from a family whose income does not exceed 70 percent of the state's median family income (MFI), which currently is $59,500 for a family of four in 2016. The 2016 Supplemental Budget provides the maximum level of aid dependent on family income:

MFI Range

Percent of Award

0 to 50 percent

100 percent

51 to 55 percent

70 percent

56 to 60 percent

65 percent

61 to 65 percent

60 percent

66 to 70 percent

50 percent

An institution of higher education is eligible to participate in the SNG program if it is a public university, nonprofit university, college, or community or technical college operated by the state of Washington. Universities, colleges, schools, or institutes offering post-secondary instruction in Washington that are affiliated with an out-of-state institution must meet certain criteria to be eligible. They must be a separately accredited member institution or a branch of an accredited institution that is eligible for federal financial aid, have operated as a nonprofit college or university delivering on-site classroom instruction for a minimum of 20 consecutive years within the state of Washington, and have an annual enrollment of at least 700 full-time students.

The maximum award amounts for the 2016-17 school year are:

Institution

Award

University of Washington

$9,348

Washington State University

$9,369

Central Washington University

$6,293

Eastern Washington University

$5,947

Community and Technical CollegeApplied Bachelor's Degree Programs

$5,947

The Evergreen State College

$6,268

Public Community andTechnical Colleges

$3,541

Private Four-Year Universities and Colleges

$8,517

WGU – Washington

$5,619

Private or Proprietary Colleges

$2,823

Dependent Care Allowance

$906

In the 2015-16 school year, nearly 24,000 students with an MFI of 70 percent or less were eligible for the SNG, but unable to receive the SNG due to lack of funds.

Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS). The WSOS was created in 2011 to address unfilled seats in the high-demand sectors that drive our economy, such as aerospace, engineering, technology, and health care, as well as rising tuition costs at Washington colleges and universities. Students must have been accepted into an eligible high-demand major at an approved four-year college or university, or an approved community college offering a bachelors' degree in an eligible high-demand major. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Students can only receive WSOS funding at the $2,500 level for one, two, or three years. A high school senior is eligible to receive up to three years of funding at the $2,500 level. After one to three years at an institution of higher learning, a student can increase their scholarship to the $5,000 level after providing WSOS with prescribed documentation. Based on documentation provided by the student to increase the scholarship to $5,000, the WSOS will automatically increase the scholarship to $7,500 once it has been determined that the student has earned 135 quarter hours 90 semester hours. The scholarship is decreased to $5,000 when WSOS has determined that a student has earned 181 quarter credits or 121 semester credits. Once students exceed 225 quarter credits or 150 semester credits, students are no longer eligible for further funding.

Summary of Bill: Award Criteria and Methods of Disbursement. The state Student Achievement Council's authority to develop award criteria and methods for disbursements of SNGs is removed. The state need grant award criteria and methods of disbursement are directed to be a function of the Omnibus Appropriations Act. In addition to need, disbursements may be made based on factors that promote degree completion and enrollment in high-demand degree programs. Institutions of higher education can only award grants on a first-come, first-serve basis; it is specifically directed in the Omnibus Appropriations Act.

Grade Point Average Qualification for State Need Grant Renewal. Students must maintain a GPA of at least a 2.25 GPA for a student's first renewal. For all subsequent renewals, a student's GPA must be at least a 2.5 GPA. Exemptions from the minimum GPA requirements include:

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on February 14, 2017.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: It is important to incentivize students to complete degrees and complete degrees in high demand fields that match up to the job market. They don't want to decrease aid, but add aid for individuals making their way through a degree.

CON: There are a lot of people who just aren't scientists, and those people would feel compelled to go into STEM fields without truly having the desire to go into that type of field. Low income students should be able to follow their dreams, and you take that away when you pick winners and losers among degrees. This would take away academic freedom from low income students. This will create more obstacles than pathways. It is not the state's place to control or incentivize a student's studies.

OTHER: Making changes to SNG in the budget can be a dangerous thing. Students prefer having something in statute so that they can depend on and plan for the amount of money they'll get for the SNG. Students getting a SNG do almost as well as the regular students. There is no grandfather clause to ensure that the current students will be unharmed. WSAC has worked with other states on incentives, and is interested in working through what an incentive based system might look like. Private students have serious issues with the bill. The level of the GPA is above and beyond what the colleges require to graduate. The biggest concern is that the award criteria is established in the budget. Each budget cycle can change the criteria. Grade inflation is a risk. There is a lot of interest in serving more of the 25,000 unserved students.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Lynda Wilson, Prime Sponsor.

CON: Elissa Goss, Washington Student Association; Ruben Flores, State Board of Community and Technical Colleges; Jessi Bagdasarov, Bellevue college; Nora Selander, Legislative Liaison, Associated Students of Western Washington University; Alexander Wirth, Associated Students of the University of Washington; Benjamin Rowe, Associated Students of Eastern Washington University.

OTHER: Rachelle Sharpe, Washington Student Achievement Council; Tom Fitzsimmons, Independent Colleges of Washington; JoAnn Taricani, University of Washington Faculty Senate; Paul Francis, Council of Presidents; Steven Hackenberger, Council of Faculty Representatives; Juliette Schindler Kelly, College Success Foundation.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.