Passed by the House March 11, 2014 Yeas 96 Nays 2 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 7, 2014 Yeas 49 Nays 0 ________________________________________ President of the Senate		CERTIFICATE I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2626 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED Secretary of State State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to establishing statewide educational attainment goals; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that increasing educational attainment is vital to the well-being of Washingtonians and critical to the health of the state's economy. Education opens doors to gainful employment, higher wages, increased job benefits, improved physical health, and increased civic engagement. Educated workers who are capable of competing for high-demand jobs in today's global economy sustain existing employers and attract new businesses. These individuals with competitive higher education credentials directly contribute to the state's economic growth and vitality.
     (2) The legislature finds that workforce and labor market projections estimate that by 2020 the vast majority of jobs in Washington will require at least a high school diploma or equivalent and seventy percent of those jobs will also require some postsecondary education.
     (3) The legislature finds that current levels of educational attainment are inadequate to address the educational needs of the state. In 2013, eighty-nine percent of Washington adults ages twenty-five to forty-four had a high school diploma or equivalent, and less than fifty percent of Washington adults ages twenty-five to forty-four have a postsecondary credential.
     (4) The legislature recognizes that one of the most important duties of the student achievement council is to propose educational attainment goals to the governor and legislature and develop a ten-year roadmap to achieve those goals, to be updated every two years.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   Acknowledging the recommendations in the higher education ten-year roadmap, the legislature is encouraged by the student achievement council's efforts to meet the following two goals in order to meet the societal and economic needs of the future:
     (1) All adults in Washington ages twenty-five to forty-four will have a high school diploma or equivalent by 2023; and
     (2) At least seventy percent of Washington adults ages twenty-five to forty-four will have a postsecondary credential by 2023.