Passport to careers program

AN ACT Relating to modifying funding for the passport to careers 1
program, and permitting students eligible for the passport to careers 2
program to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose 3
of receiving the Washington college grant; amending RCW 28B.76.525 4
and 28B.117.020; and reenacting and amending RCW 28B.92.200.5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
Sec. 1. RCW 28B.76.525 and 2025 c 424 s 926 are each amended to 7
read as follows: 8
(1) The state financial aid account is created in the custody of 9
the state treasurer. The primary purpose of the account is to ensure 10
that all appropriations designated for financial aid through 11
statewide student financial aid programs are made available to 12
eligible students. The account shall be a nontreasury account.13
(2) The office shall deposit in the account all money received 14
for the Washington college grant program established under chapter 15
28B.92 RCW, the state work-study program established under chapter 16
28B.12 RCW, the Washington scholars program established under RCW 17
28A.600.110, the Washington award for vocational excellence program 18
established under RCW 28C.04.525, ((and)) the educational opportunity 19
grant program established under chapter 28B.101 RCW, and the passport 20
to careers program established under chapter 28B.117 RCW. The account 21
Z-0567.1
SENATE BILL 5963
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Nobles, Saldaña, Chapman, Hasegawa, Shewmake, Valdez, and
C. Wilson; by request of Student Achievement Council
Prefiled 01/05/26. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Higher Education & Workforce Development.
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shall consist of funds appropriated by the legislature for the 1
programs listed in this subsection and private contributions to the 2
programs. Moneys deposited in the account do not lapse at the close 3
of the fiscal period for which they were appropriated. Both during 4
and after the fiscal period in which moneys were deposited in the 5
account, the office may expend moneys in the account only for the 6
purposes for which they were appropriated, and the expenditures are 7
subject to any other conditions or limitations placed on the 8
appropriations. 9
(3) Expenditures from the account shall be used for scholarships 10
to students eligible for the programs according to program rules and 11
policies. For the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium, expenditures may also be 12
used for scholarship awards in the passport to career program 13
established under chapter 28B.117 RCW. It is the intent of the 14
legislature that this policy will be continued in subsequent fiscal 15
biennia. 16
(4) Disbursements from the account are exempt from appropriations 17
and the allotment provisions of chapter 43.88 RCW.18
(5) Only the director of the office or the director's designee 19
may authorize expenditures from the account. 20
(6) During the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium, the legislature may 21
direct the state treasurer to transfer money in the state financial 22
aid account to the state general fund. 23
Sec. 2. RCW 28B.92.200 and 2024 c 323 s 1 and 2024 c 116 s 1 are 24
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 25
(1) The Washington college grant program is created to provide a 26
statewide free college program for eligible participants and greater 27
access to postsecondary education for Washington residents. The 28
Washington college grant program is intended to increase the number 29
of high school graduates and adults that can attain a postsecondary 30
credential and provide them with the qualifications needed to compete 31
for job opportunities in Washington. 32
(2) The office shall implement and administer the Washington 33
college grant program and is authorized to establish rules necessary 34
for implementation of the program. 35
(3) The legislature shall appropriate funding for the Washington 36
college grant program. Allocations must be made on the basis of 37
estimated eligible participants enrolled in eligible institutions of 38
higher education or apprenticeship programs. All eligible students 39
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are entitled to a Washington college grant beginning in academic year 1
2020-21. 2
(4) The office shall award Washington college grants to all 3
eligible students beginning in academic year 2020-21.4
(5) To be eligible for the Washington college grant, students 5
must meet the following requirements: 6
(a)(i) Demonstrate financial need under RCW 28B.92.205;7
(ii) Receive one or more of the following types of public 8
assistance: 9
(A) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits under chapter 10
74.62 RCW; 11
(B) Essential needs and housing support program benefits under 12
RCW 43.185C.220; or 13
(C) Pregnant women assistance program financial grants under RCW 14
74.62.030; ((or))15
(iii) Be a Washington high school student in the 10th, 11th, or 16
12th grade whose parent or legal guardian is receiving one or more of 17
the types of public assistance listed in (a)(ii) of this subsection 18
and have received a certificate confirming eligibility from the 19
office in accordance with RCW 28B.92.225; ((or))20
(iv) Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, be a Washington high 21
school student in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who is a member of an 22
assistance unit receiving benefits under the Washington basic food 23
program in chapter 74.04 RCW or the Washington food assistance 24
program established under RCW 74.08A.120; or25
(v) Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, be eligible for the 26
passport to careers program as provided in RCW 28B.117.030(3);27
(b)(i) Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least three 28
quarter credits or the equivalent semester credits at an institution 29
of higher education in Washington as defined in RCW 28B.92.030; or30
(ii) Be enrolled in a registered apprenticeship program approved 31
under chapter 49.04 RCW; 32
(c) Be a resident student as defined in RCW 28B.15.012(2) (a) 33
through (e); 34
(d) File an annual application for financial aid as approved by 35
the office; and 36
(e) Must not have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from a 37
postsecondary institution. 38
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(6) Washington college grant eligibility may not extend beyond 1
six years or 150 percent of the published length of the program in 2
which the student is enrolled or the credit or clock-hour equivalent.3
(7) Institutional aid administrators shall determine whether a 4
student eligible for the Washington college grant in a given academic 5
year may remain eligible for the ensuing year if the student's family 6
income increases by no more than three percent. 7
(8) Qualifications for receipt and renewal include maintaining 8
satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an eligible 9
program as determined by the office and established in rule.10
(9) Should a recipient terminate his or her enrollment for any 11
reason during the academic year, the unused portion of the grant 12
shall be returned to the state educational grant fund by the 13
institution of higher education according to the institution of 14
higher education's policy for issuing refunds, except as provided in 15
RCW 28B.92.070. 16
(10) An eligible student enrolled on a part-time basis shall 17
receive a prorated portion of the Washington college grant for any 18
academic period in which he or she is enrolled on a part-time basis.19
(11) The Washington college grant is intended to be used to meet 20
the costs of postsecondary education for students with financial 21
need. The student shall be awarded all need-based financial aid for 22
which the student qualifies as determined by the institution.23
(12) Students and participating institutions of higher education 24
shall comply with all the rules adopted by the council for the 25
administration of this chapter. 26
Sec. 3. RCW 28B.117.020 and 2022 c 78 s 7 are each amended to 27
read as follows: 28
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 29
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 30
(1) "Apprentice" means a person enrolled in a state-approved, 31
federally registered, or reciprocally recognized apprenticeship 32
program. 33
(2) "Apprenticeship" means an apprenticeship training program 34
approved or recognized by the state apprenticeship council or similar 35
federal entity. 36
(3) "Cost of attendance" means the cost associated with attending 37
a particular institution of higher education as determined by the 38
office, including but not limited to tuition, fees, room, board, 39
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books, personal expenses, and transportation, plus the cost of 1
reasonable additional expenses incurred by an eligible student and 2
approved by a financial aid administrator at the student's school of 3
attendance. 4
(4) "Federal foster care system" means the foster care program 5
under the federal unaccompanied refugee minors program, Title 8 6
U.S.C. Sec. 1522 of the immigration and nationality act of 1965, as 7
amended. 8
(5) "Financial need" means the difference between a student's 9
cost of attendance and the student's total ((family contribution )) 10
student aid index as determined by the method prescribed by the 11
United States department of education. 12
(6) "Homeless" or "homelessness" means without a fixed, regular, 13
and adequate nighttime residence as set forth in the federal 14
McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 11301 et seq.15
(7) "Independent college or university" means a private, 16
nonprofit institution of higher education, open to residents of the 17
state, providing programs of education beyond the high school level 18
leading to at least the baccalaureate degree, and accredited by the 19
Northwest association of schools and colleges, and other institutions 20
as may be developed that are approved by the student achievement 21
council as meeting equivalent standards as those institutions 22
accredited under this section. 23
(8) "Institution of higher education" means any institution 24
eligible to and participating in the Washington college grant 25
program. 26
(9) "Occupational-specific costs" means the costs associated with 27
entering an apprenticeship or preapprenticeship, including but not 28
limited to fees, tuition for classes, work clothes, rain gear, boots, 29
occupation-specific tools. 30
(10) "Office" means the office of student financial assistance.31
(11) "Preapprenticeship" means an apprenticeship preparation 32
program recognized by the state apprenticeship council and as defined 33
in RCW 28C.18.162. 34
(12) "Program" means the passport to careers program created in 35
this chapter. 36
(13) "State foster care system" means out-of-home care pursuant 37
to a dependency and includes the placement of dependents from other 38
states who are placed in Washington pursuant to orders issued under 39
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the interstate compact on the placement of children, chapter 26.34 1
RCW. 2
(14) "Tribal court" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 3
13.38.040. 4
(15) "Tribal foster care system" means an out-of-home placement 5
under a dependency order from a tribal court. 6
(16) "Unaccompanied" means a youth or young adult experiencing 7
homelessness while not in the physical custody of a parent or 8
guardian. 9
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