Brief Summary of Bill

Renames the Washington National Guard Conditional Scholarship Program and the Washington National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant program.
Establishes award amount is subject to appropriation but may be equal to the cost of tuition and fees, less other financial aid, plus a books and materials stipend.
Requires eligible participants in the program incur an obligation to repay the grant unless they serve in the Washington National Guard for one year for each year that they receive the award.

Background: The Washington State National Guard Conditional Scholarship program was created in 1994, and is administered by the Office of the Adjutant General of the State Military Department. It provides scholarships to eligible members of the Washington National Guard who continue their service after receiving funds. The scholarship is in the form of a loan that is forgiven if the recipient completes the requisite service time in the Washington National Guard. For each academic year of credit that a student receives scholarship money, the student must remain an active or participating member for 12 additional months. Scholarship recipients who do not fulfill the service obligation are required to repay the loaned funds plus 8 percent interest.

Scholarship recipients must complete courses at higher education institutions located in Washington State that are accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. The student's goal must be a degree or certificate program. The student must maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average and individual course grades of 2.5 or better.

The federal Montgomery G.I. Bill provides education benefits that may be used while on active duty or after separation from active duty and by members of the Selected Reserve of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, and the Army and Air National Guard. Eligibility criteria and benefits vary depending on the type and date of enlistment and on the nature of the educational program. Approved training programs under the Montgomery G.I. Bill include degree programs, certificate or correspondence courses, cooperative training, independent study programs, apprenticeship or on-the-job training, and vocational flight training programs.

Summary of Bill: The Washington National Guard Conditional Scholarship program is renamed the Washington National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant Program. A student is eligible for the grant program if:

they are a member of the Washington National Guard;
attend an accredited institution in Washington State;
a baccalaureate degree or higher from any postsecondary institution has not been awarded;
they are an active drilling member in good standing in the Washington National Guard;
they have completed and submitted an application for student aid;
they are a resident student; and
they agree to fulfill the student's service obligation.

Subject to the amount appropriated for the grants, an eligible student may receive an award up to the cost of tuition and fees, less other federal, state, and institutional grant or waiver aid. Eligible students may receive up to $500 for books and materials.

Eligibility is limited to five years or 125 percent of the published length of the program in which the student is enrolled.

Eligible participants in the grant program incur an obligation to repay the grant with interest, unless they serve in the Washington National Guard for one year for each year that they receive the award.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance is responsible for administering the grant program, coordinating with the Washington Military Department in selecting eligible participants, and developing rules related to repayment obligations.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Higher Education & Workforce Development): PRO: This bill pertains to 8000 servicemembers in Washington that serve in Washington and around the world. The guard currently has some retention challenges and this bill could assist with that. This legislation will make our ranks more robust. Both Idaho and Oregon offer more generous benefits than we do at home. Not only is this good for the guard but it is also a good workforce investment. This bill has been widely supported. The guard is challenged to retain current members and to recruit for over 700 vacancies. This hurts our ability to respond in the case of disaster. Thirty-nine other states have addressed this issue by providing tuition incentives and Washington is one of the last to do so. Currently only 24 percent of the guard have a college education. This tuition assistance program will help us retain our servicemembers and provide additional advancement opportunities. This is a modest investment to improve the strength of the guard. A state tuition assistance program similar to those available in other states would provide additional assistance to our guard members. We appreciate working with the Military Department and the public baccalaureates are supportive of this bill.

Persons Testifying (Higher Education & Workforce Development): PRO: Representative Christine Kilduff, Prime Sponsor; Matthew Sutherland, Vice-President of Legislative Affairs, Graduate and Professional Student Association; LTC Kristin Derda, Commander, Recruiting and Retention Battalion Washington Army National Guard; Naziroh Brockman, Washington Air National Guard & National Guard Association of Washington; Steve DuPont, Central Washington University.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Ways & Means): PRO: This bill will provide National Guard members with a greater opportunity to achieve higher education. Currently, 30 percent of Washington National Guard members have a higher education degree. It is challenging to maintain members when 39 other states address this issue by offering educational grants. Thank you for the $625,000 a year provided in the budget for grant awards. Please fully fund the program by adding $875,000 a year, for a total of $1.5 million per year in grant funds. It will provide members the opportunity to achieve higher education. It is a recruiting tool to incentivize those in the state to join the Washington National Guard.