Text of WA SB 5205 (2026)

AN ACT Relating to Washington college grant award amounts; 1 amending RCW 28B.92.030; and adding new sections to chapter 28B.92 2 RCW. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: 4 Sec. 1. RCW 28B.92.030 and 2022 c 166 s 1 are each amended to 5 read as follows: 6 The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 7 unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 8 (1) "Council" means the student achievement council. 9 (2) "Financial aid" means either loans, grants, or both, to 10 students who demonstrate financial need enrolled or accepted for 11 enrollment as a student at institutions of higher education. 12 (3) "Financial need" means a demonstrated financial inability to 13 bear the total cost of education as directed in rule by the office. 14 (4) "Institution" or "institutions of higher education" means: 15 (a) Any public university, college, community college, or 16 technical college operated by the state of Washington or any 17 political subdivision thereof; or 18 (b) Any other university, college, school, or institute in the 19 state of Washington offering instruction beyond the high school level 20 that is a member institution of an accrediting association recognized 21 S-0085.1 SENATE BILL 5205 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Senators Conway and Nobles Prefiled 01/09/25. p. 1 SB 5205 by rule of the council for the purposes of this section and that 1 agrees to and complies with program rules adopted pursuant to RCW 2 28B.92.150. However, any institution, branch, extension or facility 3 operating within the state of Washington that is affiliated with an 4 institution operating in another state must be: 5 (i) A separately accredited member institution of any such 6 accrediting association; 7 (ii) A branch of a member institution of an accrediting 8 association recognized by rule of the council for purposes of this 9 section, that is eligible for federal student financial aid 10 assistance and has operated as a nonprofit college or university 11 delivering on-site classroom instruction for a minimum of ((twenty)) 12 20 consecutive years within the state of Washington, and has an 13 annual enrollment of at least ((seven hundred)) 700 full-time 14 equivalent students; 15 (iii) A nonprofit institution recognized by the state of 16 Washington as provided in RCW 28B.77.240; or 17 (iv) An approved apprenticeship program under chapter 49.04 RCW. 18 (5) "Maximum Washington college grant": 19 (a) For students attending two or four-year institutions of 20 higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 that have signed the 21 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act and are not 22 subject to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under 23 section 3 of this act, is tuition and estimated fees for ((fifteen)) 24 15 quarter credit hours or the equivalent, as determined by the 25 office, including operating fees, building fees, and services and 26 activities fees. 27 (b) For students attending private four-year not-for-profit 28 institutions of higher education in Washington that have signed the 29 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act and are not 30 subject to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under 31 section 3 of this act, ((in the 2019-20 academic year, is nine 32 thousand seven hundred thirty-nine dollars and may)) is $9,739 and 33 must increase each year ((afterwards)) beginning in the 2025-26 34 academic year by no more than the tuition growth factor. 35 (c) For students attending two-year private not-for-profit 36 institutions of higher education in Washington that have signed the 37 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act and are not 38 subject to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under 39 section 3 of this act, ((in the 2019-20 academic year, is three 40 p. 2 SB 5205 thousand six hundred ninety-four dollars and may)) is $3,694 and must 1 increase each year ((afterwards)) beginning in the 2025-26 academic 2 year by no more than the tuition growth factor. 3 (d) For students attending four-year private for-profit 4 institutions of higher education in Washington that have signed the 5 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act and are not 6 subject to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under 7 section 3 of this act, ((in the 2019-20 academic year, is eight 8 thousand five hundred seventeen dollars and may)) is $8,517 and must 9 increase each year ((afterwards)) beginning in the 2025-26 academic 10 year by no more than the tuition growth factor. 11 (e) For students attending two-year private for-profit 12 institutions of higher education in Washington that have signed the 13 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act and are not 14 subject to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under 15 section 3 of this act, ((in the 2019-20 academic year, is two 16 thousand eight hundred twenty-three dollars and may)) is $2,823 and 17 must increase each year ((afterwards)) beginning in the 2025-26 18 academic year by no more than the tuition growth factor. 19 (f) For students attending Western Governors University- 20 Washington, as established in RCW 28B.77.240, ((in the 2019-20 21 academic year, is five thousand six hundred nineteen dollars and 22 may)) upon signing the affidavit as provided for under section 2 of 23 this act and subject to section 3 of this act, is $5,619 and must 24 increase each year ((afterwards)) beginning in the 2025-26 academic 25 year by no more than the tuition growth factor. 26 (g) For students attending two or four-year institutions of 27 higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 that do not sign the 28 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act or are subject 29 to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under section 3 of 30 this act, is the equivalent of academic year 2024-25 tuition and 31 estimated fees for 15 quarter credit hours or the equivalent, as 32 determined by the office, including operating fees, building fees, 33 and services and activities fees. 34 (h) For students attending private four-year not-for-profit 35 institutions of higher education in Washington that do not sign the 36 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act or are subject 37 to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under section 3 of 38 this act, is $9,739. 39 p. 3 SB 5205 (i) For students attending two-year private not-for-profit 1 institutions of higher education in Washington that do not sign the 2 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act or are subject 3 to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under section 3 of 4 this act, is $3,694. 5 (j) For students attending four-year private for-profit 6 institutions of higher education in Washington that do not sign the 7 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act or are subject 8 to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under section 3 of 9 this act, is $8,517. 10 (k) For students attending two-year private for-profit 11 institutions of higher education in Washington that do not sign the 12 affidavit as provided for under section 2 of this act or are subject 13 to a prefinding settlement or a final court order under section 3 of 14 this act, is $2,823. 15 (l) For students attending Western Governors University- 16 Washington, as established in RCW 28B.77.240, and Western Governors 17 University-Washington does not sign the affidavit as provided for 18 under section 2 of this act or is subject to a prefinding settlement 19 or a final court order under section 3 of this act, is $5,619. 20 (m) For students attending approved apprenticeship programs, 21 beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, is the same amount as the 22 maximum Washington college grant for students attending two-year 23 institutions of higher education as defined in (a) of this subsection 24 to be used for tuition and fees, program supplies and equipment, and 25 other costs that facilitate educational endeavors. 26 (6) "Office" means the office of student financial assistance. 27 (7) "Tuition growth factor" means an increase of no more than the 28 average annual percentage growth rate of the median hourly wage for 29 Washington for the previous fourteen years as the wage is determined 30 by the federal bureau of labor statistics. 31 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.92 32 RCW to read as follows: 33 (1) In administering the Washington college grant program, the 34 office shall adopt rules to allow for each institution of higher 35 education to annually sign an affidavit that the institution has 36 adopted policies in compliance with this section. The maximum 37 Washington college grant award must be adjusted as provided for in 38 p. 4 SB 5205 RCW 28B.92.030 for institutions of higher education that sign an 1 affidavit attesting to the following nondiscrimination policies: 2 (a) The institution prohibits discrimination on the basis of 3 race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration 4 status, sex, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, or the 5 presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of 6 a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability; 7 (b) The institution operates its education program or activity in 8 a manner free of discrimination. No student may be excluded from 9 participation in an education program or activity, denied the 10 benefits of an education program or activity, or subjected to 11 discrimination on the basis of that student's age, sex, marital 12 status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, 13 citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military status, or the 14 presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of 15 a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, 16 unless based upon a bona fide qualification of the education program; 17 and 18 (c) The institution, acting in its capacity as an employer, must 19 not: 20 (i) Refuse to hire, promote, or confer tenure to any person 21 because of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, 22 color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, veteran or 23 military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical 24 disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a 25 person with a disability, unless based upon a bona fide occupational 26 qualification. However, the prohibition against discrimination 27 because of a disability in this subsection does not apply if the 28 particular disability prevents the proper performance of the 29 particular work involved. This subsection may not be construed to 30 require an employer to establish employment goals or quotas based on 31 sexual orientation; 32 (ii) Discharge or bar any person from employment because of age, 33 sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national 34 origin, citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military 35 status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical 36 disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a 37 person with a disability; 38 (iii) Discriminate against any person in compensation or in other 39 terms or conditions of employment because of age, sex, marital 40 p. 5 SB 5205 status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, 1 citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military status, or the 2 presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of 3 a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. 4 However, this section does not prohibit an employer from segregating 5 washrooms or locker facilities on the basis of sex, or basing other 6 terms and conditions of employment on the sex of employees where the 7 Washington state human rights commission, created under chapter 49.60 8 RCW, has by regulation or ruling in a particular instance found the 9 employment practice to be appropriate for the practical realization 10 of equality of opportunity between the sexes; or 11 (iv) Print or circulate, or cause to be printed or circulated, 12 any statement, advertisement, or publication, or to use any form of 13 application for employment, or to make any inquiry in connection with 14 prospective employment, which expresses any limitation, 15 specification, or discrimination as to age, sex, marital status, 16 sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship 17 or immigration status, veteran or military status, or the presence of 18 any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained 19 dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any 20 intent to make any such limitation, specification, or discrimination, 21 unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification. However, 22 nothing in this subsection prohibits advertising in a foreign 23 language. 24 (2) Participation in theology academic programs and campus 25 ministry departments, including the employment, promotion, or 26 granting of tenure of faculty members for courses of study in 27 theology, is exempt from the requirements under this section. 28 (3) Institutions of higher education that take no action 29 regarding the signing of the affidavit shall receive the maximum 30 Washington college grant as provided for under RCW 28B.92.030. 31 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28B.92 32 RCW to read as follows: 33 (1) Any institution of higher education subject to a prefinding 34 settlement or a final court order for discriminatory employment 35 practices in violation of chapter 49.60 RCW are not eligible for 36 adjustments to the maximum Washington college grant award as provided 37 for in RCW 28B.92.030(5) unless: 38 p. 6 SB 5205 (a) The institution of higher education has fulfilled the 1 conditions or obligations associated with any court order or 2 settlement resulting from the violation; or 3 (b) The institution of higher education has taken significant and 4 meaningful steps to correct the violation, as determined by the 5 Washington state human rights commission in matters in which the 6 commission is a party. 7 (2) An institution of higher education involved in a court 8 proceeding brought by the attorney general under RCW 49.60.350 may 9 continue to receive the tuition growth factor provided in RCW 10 28B.92.030 until a final order adjudicates the matter. 11 --- END --- p. 7 SB 5205