SB 5969

Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS

Education Committee

SB 5969

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.

Brief Description: Creating the civic education travel grant program.

Sponsors: Senators Kilmer, Delvin, Kastama, Shin, Kauffman, Marr, Murray, Kohl-Welles, Hobbs and Tom.

Brief Summary of Bill

Creates the Civic Education Travel Grant program to assist with travel costs for students participating in civic education competitions or events.

Hearing Date: 3/22/07

Staff: Andrew Colvin (786-7304).

Background:

Organizations focused on civic engagement often organize competitions for students to promote civic education and responsibility. The competitions can be statewide, regional, national, or even international. Some students from Washington who enter these competitions locally and win are unable to advance because they cannot afford the travel costs to get to the statewide, regional, national, or international finals.

Summary of Bill:

The Civic Education Travel Grant program will provide travel grants to students participating in statewide, regional, national, or international civic education competitions or events. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will allocate the grants, on a competitive basis, from private donations or with amounts appropriated for this specific purpose. The OSPI may accept gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources for the program and may spend any gifts, grants, endowments or income from public or private sources according to their terms.

Students submitting grant applications must:

be residents of the state of Washington;
use the grants to fund travel to civic education-based competitions or events;
be participants in the civic education competition or event; and
be under the age of 21 and not yet received their high school diploma.

Grant applications must include the following information:

a brief description of the civic education competition or event;
a brief description of what the applicant expects to learn from the competition or event;
the total travel costs and how much the applicant is requesting from the program; and
the total amount of matching funds the applicant has already secured or expects to secure.

Students are encouraged to seek matching funds, in-kind contributions, or other sources of support to supplement their travel expenses. The OSPI may adopt other criteria as appropriate for the review of grant proposals. Final grant awards may be for the full amount or a portion of the grant request.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.