SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6424

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As of January 22, 2020

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

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

Sponsors: Senators Wilson, C., Hunt, Liias, Das, Nguyen and Saldaña.

Committee Activity: Higher Education & Workforce Development: 1/23/20.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the public higher education institutions that offer on-campus housing options to provide a waiver for one year of on-campus housing, on a space available basis, to first-year College Bound Scholarship students who are homeless.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Staff: Alicia Kinne-Clawson (786-7407)

Background: College Bound Scholarship Program. The College Bound 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; or
are dependent from parents or guardians, or are receiving extended foster care services.

In the seventh-grade, students become eligible for the CBS and 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.

CBS recipients attending public two-year or four-year higher education institutions 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. CBS recipients attending private institutions receive an award based on the average award students at the corresponding public institution would receive. 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, or bus or train stations; and
migratory and live in one of the above situations.

Summary of Bill: Public higher education institutions offering 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 must inform the institution of their eligibility for the waiver when accepting admittance for the fall term to receive the waiver.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on January 22, 2020.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.