Legislature Advances Bills to Expand Access to Financial Aid for All Low-Income Washington Students

From the Western Legislative Review blog, at https://wp.wwu.edu/wlr/:

Yesterday, two measures advanced in the legislative process that would expand access to the College Bound Scholarship and the Opportunity Scholarship for low-income Washington students regardless of their immigration status. The State Senate approved Substitute Senate Bill 5074, sponsored by Senator David Frockt, with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 34 to 11, and the House Higher Education Committee approved Second Substitute House Bill 1488, sponsored by Representative Drew Hansen. In 2003, the Legislature approved legislation making undocumented Washington students eligible for in-state tuition at public higher education institutions, and in 2014, legislation passed making all low-income Washington students eligible for the State Need Grant regardless of their immigration status.

Another bill related to financial aid that the Legislature is considering this session is Senate Bill 6261, sponsored by Senator Kevin Ranker. This bill would expand student eligibility to the State Need Grant, a nationally recognized financial aid program designed to increase postsecondary access for low-income students. Resident undergraduate students currently qualify for the State Need Grant if their family income is at or below 70 percent of the state’s median family income (MFI). If approved by the Legislature, SB 6261 would expand eligibility for the State Need Grant to students whose family income is at or below 100 percent of the state’s MFI and the bill would allocate $206 million to cover the cost of expanding eligibility. Throughout Washington, nearly 70,000 students currently receive the State Need Grant, however, approximately 20,000 students, including nearly 1,400 students at WWU, are currently eligible for the State Need Grant but do not receive it due to a lack of state funding.

As included in Western’s 2018 legislative priorities, WWU strongly supports programs that ensure all Washington students have access to higher education, including proposals to fully fund the State Need Grant and efforts to support DACA and undocumented students. Stay tuned to the Western Legislative Review throughout session for updates regarding the bills discussed above and other legislative proposals that impact Western students and higher education in the state.