The Legislature has approved a bipartisan bill from 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy that would help students decide about attending a university or college.
The Senate today voted 47-0 to concur (agree) with changes made by the House of Representatives to Senate Bill 6053, which aims to remove a barrier to higher-education opportunities by providing students with information about postsecondary educational and financial-aid possibilities. The House passed SB 6053 on an 85-11 vote last week.
“This bill will help high-school students as they try to figure out exactly where they are going to go for postsecondary education,” said Holy, the Republican leader on the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee.
Under the proposal, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction must share directory data of high-school students with the Washington Student Achievement Council and public higher-education institutions within the state. WSAC and public higher-education institutions may use that directory information to contact students to inform them about financial-aid opportunities and higher-education opportunities.
“The benefit to the student is that WSAC will help them determine exactly what financial aid is available, and then the colleges will let them know whether they qualify to attend,” said Holy, R-Cheney.
The proposal would require WSAC to enter into data-sharing agreements with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction so high-school students have access to information about postsecondary educational and financial-aid opportunities available in Washington.
“Attending a college or university typically is very expensive. Many students need financial aid to pay for their higher education but aren’t aware what kinds of financial aid are available,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “This bill would help students by making it easier for the Washington Student Achievement Council to provide financial aid information to them.”
SB 6053 now moves to Gov. Jay Inslee for final consideration.