BILL REQ. #:  S-3667.1 

Read first time 01/18/12.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to allowing nonprofit institutions recognized by the state of Washington to be eligible to participate in the state need grant program; amending RCW 28B.92.030; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.92.030 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 11 s 159 are each amended to read as follows:
     As used in this chapter:
     (1) "Disadvantaged student" means a posthigh school student who by reason of adverse cultural, educational, environmental, experiential, familial or other circumstances is unable to qualify for enrollment as a full-time student in an institution of higher education, who would otherwise qualify as a needy student, and who is attending an institution of higher education under an established program designed to qualify the student for enrollment as a full-time student.
     (2) "Financial aid" means loans and/or grants to needy students enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a student at institutions of higher education.
     (3) "Institution" or "institutions of higher education" means:
     (a) Any public university, college, community college, or technical college operated by the state of Washington or any political subdivision thereof; or
     (b) Any other university, college, school, or institute in the state of Washington offering instruction beyond the high school level which is a member institution of an accrediting association recognized by rule of the board for the purposes of this section: PROVIDED, That any institution, branch, extension or facility operating within the state of Washington which is affiliated with an institution operating in another state must be: (i) A separately accredited member institution of any such accrediting association, or (ii) a branch of a member institution of an accrediting association recognized by rule of the board for purposes of this section, that is eligible for federal student financial aid assistance and has operated as a nonprofit college or university delivering on-site classroom instruction for a minimum of twenty consecutive years within the state of Washington, and has an annual enrollment of at least seven hundred full-time equivalent students, or (iii) a nonprofit institution recognized by the state of Washington as provided in RCW 28B.76.695: PROVIDED FURTHER, That no institution of higher education shall be eligible to participate in a student financial aid program unless it agrees to and complies with program rules ((and regulations)) adopted pursuant to RCW 28B.92.150.
     (4) "Needy student" means a posthigh school student of an institution of higher education who demonstrates to the board the financial inability, either through the student's parents, family and/or personally, to meet the total cost of board, room, books, and tuition and incidental fees for any semester or quarter. "Needy student" also means an opportunity internship graduate as defined by RCW 28C.18.162 who enrolls in a postsecondary program of study as defined in RCW 28C.18.162 within one year of high school graduation.
     (5) "Office" means the office of student financial assistance.
     (6) "Placebound student" means a student who (a) is unable to complete a college program because of family or employment commitments, health concerns, monetary inability, or other similar factors; and (b) may be influenced by the receipt of an enhanced student financial aid award to complete a baccalaureate degree at an eligible institution.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   This act takes effect July 1, 2012.