BILL REQ. #:  S-0692.1 

Read first time 01/18/2007.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to awarding the state need grant; and amending RCW 28B.92.060.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.92.060 and 2005 c 93 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     In awarding need grants, the board shall proceed substantially as follows: PROVIDED, That nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent the board, in the exercise of its sound discretion, from following another procedure when the best interest of the program so dictates:
     (1) The board shall annually select the financial aid award recipients from among Washington residents applying for student financial aid who have been ranked according to:
     (a) Financial need as determined by the amount of the family contribution; and
     (b) Other considerations, such as whether the student is a former foster youth.
     (2) The financial need of the highest ranked students shall be met by grants depending upon the evaluation of financial need until the total allocation has been disbursed. Funds from grants which are declined, forfeited or otherwise unused shall be reawarded until disbursed, except that eligible former foster youth shall be assured receipt of a grant.
     (3) A student shall be eligible to receive a state need grant for up to five years, or the credit or clock hour equivalent of five years, or up to one hundred twenty-five percent of the published length of time of the student's program. A student may not start a new associate degree program as a state need grant recipient until at least five years have elapsed since earning an associate degree as a need grant recipient, except that a student may earn two associate degrees concurrently. Qualifications for renewal will include maintaining satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an eligible program as determined by the board. Should the 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 according to the institution's own policy for issuing refunds, except as provided in RCW 28B.92.070.
     (4) ((In computing financial need, the board shall determine a maximum student expense budget allowance, not to exceed an amount equal to the total maximum student expense budget at the public institutions plus the current average state appropriation per student for operating expense in the public institutions.
     (5))) The state need grant award for an individual student shall be the base grant, appropriate for the educational sector attended, and a dependent care allowance, if applicable, adjusted for the student's family income and rate of enrollment.
     (5) The maximum base grant for students shall:
     (a) Be established based on the representative average resident tuition, service, and activity fees charged within each public sector of higher education. The average is to be determined annually by the higher education coordinating board. The amount of the base grant may be less than the actual average if the higher education coordinating board finds it necessary to be able to serve the expected number of eligible students;
     (b) Not exceed the actual tuition and fees charged to the eligible student; and
     (c) Be the same for students attending private four-year institutions of higher education and students attending the public four-year research universities. The base grant for students attending private vocational institutions shall be the same as students attending the public community and technical colleges.
     (6)(a) For full-time students, the amount of the state need grant shall be as follows:
     (i) Students with family incomes less than or equal to fifty percent of the state's median family income shall receive the maximum award;
     (ii) Students whose incomes are greater than fifty percent, but less than or equal to sixty-five percent, of the state's median family income shall receive seventy-five percent of the maximum award;
     (iii) Students whose incomes are greater than sixty-five percent, but less than or equal to seventy-five percent, of the state's median family income shall receive fifty percent of the maximum award;
     (iv) Students whose incomes are greater than seventy-five percent, but less than or equal to eighty-five percent, of the state's median family income shall receive twenty-five percent of the maximum award; and
     (v) Each eligible grant recipient must receive the maximum grant award for which he or she is eligible, unless the award would exceed the student's overall need or the institution's approved gift equity packaging policy.
     (b) Students attending less than full time shall have their grants prorated based on attendance.
     (7) As used in this section, "former foster youth" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age, but not more than twenty-four years of age, who was a dependent of the department of social and health services at the time he or she attained the age of eighteen.