FINAL BILL REPORT

E2SHB 1311

C 298 L 19

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning college bound scholarship eligible students.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Bergquist, Ortiz-Self, Stonier, Dolan, Frame, Paul, Ryu, Sells, Valdez, Lekanoff, Stanford, Leavitt, Thai and Wylie).

House Committee on College & Workforce Development

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:

College Bound Scholarship Program.

The College Bound Scholarship (CBS) program was established in 2007 to provide guaranteed four-year tuition to students from low-income families. The first CBS awards were granted to the graduating high school class of 2012. Eligible students for the CBS include those who:

• qualify for free or reduced-price lunches in the seventh grade; or

• are dependent from parents or guardians, or are receiving extended foster care services; and

  • are in grades 7 through 12; or

  • are between the ages of 18 and 21 years and have not graduated from high school.

In the seventh grade, students become eligible for the CBS and are notified of their eligibility and the requirements for the scholarship. To be eligible to receive the CBS, a student must sign a pledge during the seventh or eighth grade that includes a commitment to graduate from high school with at least a C-average and no felony convictions.

To receive the CBS, the student must graduate high school having fulfilled the CBS pledge requirements. Upon graduation, the student's family income is assessed, and if it does not exceed 65 percent of the state median family income (MFI), the student receives a scholarship.

The CBS recipients that attend public two-year or four-year institutions of higher education receive an award to cover the cost of tuition and fees, minus any state-funded grant, scholarship, or waiver assistance, plus $500 for books and materials. The CBS recipients who attend private institutions receive an award based on the average award students at the corresponding public institution would receive. The student must maintain satisfactory academic progress and may not receive the scholarship for more than four full-time years.

State Need Grant.

The State Need Grant (SNG) is the state's largest financial aid program and grants are awarded to students based on financial need. A student may receive a grant if their family income does not exceed 70 percent of the state MFI. In the state operating budget, students eligible for the CBS who have family incomes in the 0–65 percent MFI range are prioritized for the SNG and awarded the maximum SNG for which they are eligible.

Summary:

Beginning in the 2019-20 academic year, a student may qualify for the CBS if he or she is eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in the ninth grade, but was previously ineligible during the seventh or eighth grade while a Washington student.

Under the SNG program, a CBS eligible student who has a family income that exceeds 65 percent of the state MFI must be prioritized for the maximum SNG for which the student is eligible.

Votes on Final Passage: