HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2386

As Reported by House Committee On:

Higher Education

Title: An act relating to room and board for college bound scholarship students.

Brief Description: Providing room and board for certain college bound scholarship students.

Sponsors: Representatives Hudgins, Tarleton, Bergquist, Santos, Dolan, Valdez, Doglio, Pollet and Stonier.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Higher Education: 1/10/18, 1/31/18 [DPS].

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 5 members: Representatives Hansen, Chair; Pollet, Vice Chair; Orwall, Sells and Tarleton.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 2 members: Representatives Holy, Ranking Minority Member; Van Werven, Assistant Ranking Minority Member.

Minority Report: Without recommendation. Signed by 2 members: Representatives Haler and Stambaugh.

Staff: Megan Mulvihill (786-7304).

Background:

The College Bound Scholarship.

The College Board Scholarship (CBS) program was established in 2007 to provide guaranteed four-year tuition to students from low-income families. The first CBS awards were granted to the graduating high school class of 2012. Eligible students for the CBS include those who:

• qualify for free or reduced-price lunches in the seventh grade; orŸ

• are dependent from parents or guardians, or are receiving extended foster care services; and

• are in grades 7 through 12; or

• Ÿare between the ages of 18 and 21 years and have not graduated from high school.

A student may also be eligible if they were a dependent who was adopted between the ages of 14 and 18 with a negotiated adoption agreement that includes continued eligibility in the CBS program.

Beginning in the seventh grade, eligible students are notified of their eligibility and the requirements for award of the scholarship. To be eligible to receive the CBS, a student must sign a pledge during the seventh or eighth grade that includes a commitment to graduate from high school with at least a C-average and no felony convictions. To receive the CBS, the student must graduate having fulfilled the CBS pledge requirements. Upon graduation, the student's family income will be assessed, and if it does not exceed 65 percent of the state median family income, the student will receive a scholarship. The CBS recipients that attend public two-year or four-year institutions of higher education receive an award to cover the cost of tuition and fees, minus any state-funded grant, scholarship, or waiver assistance, plus $500 for books and materials. The student must maintain satisfactory academic progress and may not receive the scholarship for more than four full-time years.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.

The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) requires local school districts to identify homeless students and provide them with support. Under the McKinney-Vento Act homeless children are defined as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." The McKinney-Vento Act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition, including children and youth who are:

• sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;

• living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations;

• living in emergency or transitional shelters;

• abandoned in hospitals;

• awaiting foster care placement;

• living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations; and

• migratory and live in one of the above situations.

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Summary of Substitute Bill:

Public institutions of higher education that offer on-campus housing options must provide a one-year waiver for on-campus housing to eligible students on a space available basis. Eligible students are first-year CBS recipients who, upon graduation from high school, are considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act. The student needs to inform the institution of their eligibility for the waiver when accepting admittance for the fall term in order to receive the waiver.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill limits the waiver to one-year of on-campus housing, rather than a waiver for standard room and board while the student is a CBS recipient. The waiver only needs to be provided if space is available. It also limits eligibility to first-year CBS students and requires the student to notify the institution of their eligibility for the waiver when accepting admittance for the fall term. Lastly, the substitute bill moved the provisions of the bill to the Colleges and University Fees chapter of the RCW and added intent language.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) The state makes a promise to the CBS students that they can go to college for free. For homeless CBS students though, tuition is covered but they do not have a place to live, so they do not end up attending. The bill removes the barrier to higher education to increase the chance that these students and their families can break out of the cycle of poverty. This applies to a small number of students, and it aligns with institutional values, but needs to be fully funded. There should also be flexibility to offer housing that may not be on-campus due to limitations with on-campus housing. In addition, the it should be considered how the award works with other financial aid.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Hudgins, prime sponsor; Dave Larson, Tukwila School Board; Jillian Kilby, State Relations of the University of Washington; Becca Kenna-Schenk, Western Washington University; and Ruben Flores, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.