By Senators Fain, Takko, Hobbs, Frockt, Hill, Litzow, Keiser, Fraser, Nelson, Conway, Hasegawa, Jayapal, McCoy, Cleveland, McAuliffe, Mullet, Darneille, Carlyle, Chase, King, Rolfes, Ranker, Bailey, and Benton

WHEREAS, The Latino/a Educational Achievement Project, or LEAP, was established as a nonprofit organization in 1998, and recognized that the increasing numbers of latino students in Washington's public schools were underserved; and

WHEREAS, LEAP was formed with the goal of closing the opportunity gap between latino students and their peers through improving educational outcomes and legislative advocacy; and

WHEREAS, As an advocate for students, LEAP educates students and their parents on how to effectively make their voice heard through their local representatives; and

WHEREAS, Each year LEAP's advisory board sets a policy agenda aimed at tackling issues most important to latino students, with agenda items forwarded to state and federal representatives, the Governor, and various education boards at the high school and collegiate level; and

WHEREAS, LEAP's past legislative success includes the passage of House Bill 1079 in 2003, allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition for college, and Senate Bill 6523 in 2014, making in-state financial aid more widely available; and

WHEREAS, As they pursue improved academic development, LEAP hosts a variety of programs to give students the skills, knowledge, and confidence to graduate from high school and pursue postsecondary education; and

WHEREAS, Today's legislative day and educational conference is an example of LEAP's programming—this annual two-day event is split between an education conference in Tacoma and today's trip to Olympia to give students the opportunity to meet their representatives; additional programs include public education workshops for students and parents and after-school peer leadership programs focusing on leadership, civic engagement, college prep, and community service; and

WHEREAS, In addition to education programming, LEAP coordinates with Sea Mar Community Health Centers to offer a variety of scholarships;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate welcome the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project to Olympia and recognize them for their hard work advocating for positive academic outcomes for Washington's latino and latina students.