AN ACT Relating to room and board for college bound scholarship students; and adding a new section to chapter 28B.15 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The legislature recognizes that homelessness is a barrier to accessing higher education and therefore intends to provide college bound scholarship students experiencing homelessness with one year of on-campus housing, provided that space is available so other students are not being displaced and rooms are not being held open.

(2) Beginning in the 2018-19 academic year, institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 that offer on-campus student housing options shall provide a waiver for one year of on-campus housing to eligible students on a space available basis, provided the student has not reached his or her unmet need through other gift aid. Eligible students are first-year recipients of the college bound scholarship under chapter 28B.118 RCW and who upon graduation from high school are considered homeless, as set forth in the McKinney-Vento homeless education assistance act (P.L. 100-77; 101 Stat. 482). The eligible student must inform the institution of higher education of their eligibility when accepting admittance for the fall term in order to receive the waiver.

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