OLYMPIA… Today brought the deadline for the state Senate to pass legislation across to the House of Representatives, and the list of bills heading to the Legislature’s other chamber includes two of Sen. Matt Boehnke’s pro-education bills.
Senate Bill 5542 and Senate Bill 5543, both of which passed unanimously, would create more financial opportunities for students in Washington to attend college or a technical school.
SB 5542 would eliminate the requirement that a student be 19 years of age or older to be eligible for a high school completion program tuition and fee waiver.
“This is a transformative education bill,” said Boehnke, R-Kennewick. “While it may not solve every challenge, it will significantly reduce barriers for individuals over 19 seeking financial resources for community or technical college. By expanding access, we can increase enrollment and graduation rates, ultimately delivering more skilled workers to our local workforce.”
SB 5543 would extend eligibility for College Bound Scholarships to students who have received a high school-equivalency certificate. Currently, only students with a high-school diploma are eligible.
“Many college-bound kids before the pandemic did not get their high school diploma, for one reason or another, and went on to get an equivalency certificate. This bill opens up more financial resources for these kids and their families and brings a sense of pride. We want to inspire the future for all our kids, and this bill does that.”
Both measures have bipartisan sponsorship and were introduced in cooperation with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Boehnke’s bills have been referred to the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee.
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