BILL REQ. #:  H-3703.1 

Prefiled 12/07/09. Read first time 01/11/10.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to creating the go global foreign study program for high school students; adding new sections to chapter 28A.600 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the nations of the world are increasingly interdependent economically and socially. The legislature further finds that educational exchange programs for young people are where the foreign policy of tomorrow starts. Educational exchange programs provide young people with rich opportunities to experience another culture, be immersed in another language, be exposed to different models of government and education, and make international connections and friendships that can last a lifetime. In order to enable more Washington students to have these invaluable opportunities, the legislature intends to create a scholarship program in partnership with private entities where scholarship awards are in an amount approximating the funds that the state would otherwise be providing to support that student's education in a Washington high school.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout sections 3 through 5 of this act.
     (1) "Approved foreign study program" means an educational exchange program for United States secondary school students to live and study abroad for at least one semester and not more than one school year that has met the standards of and is approved for current listing by the council on standards for international educational travel.
     (2) "Eligible student" means a student who:
     (a) Is enrolled in a Washington public school during the year prior to his or her proposed participation in the go global foreign study program;
     (b) At the time of his or her participation in the go global foreign study program, would be eligible for enrollment in at least ninth grade;
     (c) Has not graduated from high school; and
     (d) Has been accepted for enrollment in an approved foreign study program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The go global foreign study program is created subject to funding under section 5 of this act. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall administer the program. The purpose of the program is to provide public high school students in Washington with a scholarship to participate in approved foreign study programs for up to one year.
     (2) In administering the go global foreign study program, the superintendent of public instruction shall:
     (a) Adopt rules and guidelines for applications from eligible students, selection of scholarship recipients, and the award and disbursal of scholarship funds;
     (b) Convene a screening committee to select students to receive the scholarship;
     (c) Publicize the program; and
     (d) Solicit and accept grants and donations from public and private sources to support the program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Eligible students may submit an application to the office of the superintendent of public instruction to receive a scholarship under the go global foreign study program.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction shall select scholarship award recipients to the extent that funds are available for scholarship awards as provided under section 5 of this act.
     (3) A scholarship award shall not exceed five thousand dollars for a program of one school year or two thousand five hundred dollars for a program of one semester.
     (4) The superintendent of public instruction shall make the scholarship award payment to the organization operating the approved foreign study program on behalf of the award recipient to offset the cost of tuition and fees of the program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The go global foreign study program scholarship account is created in the custody of the state treasurer.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction shall deposit into the account all money received for the go global foreign study program from appropriations and private sources.
     (3) The superintendent of public instruction may disburse funds from the account for the purposes of scholarship awards as provided under section 4 of this act only to the extent that:
     (a) The funds in the account are from private sources; or
     (b) Any funds in the account from state appropriations are equally matched by funds from private sources.
     (4) The account is exempt from allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW. No appropriation is required for expenditures from the account.