The Legislature passed its fifth major deadline of session on Tuesday when bills with a fiscal impact needed to be voted out of those committees in order to continue in the legislative process. Ahead of that deadline, the House Finance Committee approved the bill to extend the Customized Training Program's business and occupation tax credit, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed the Tribal elders tuition waiver and Opportunity Grant expansion bills.

Isabella Flores with Gov. FergusonGov. Bob Ferguson this morning signed into law the State Board-requested bill that eliminates the requirement that students be at least 19 years old for a college to waive those fees. State Board Legislative Intern Isabella Flores attended the signing ceremony at the Legislative Building.

On Thursday, the State Board-requested bill that would make students who receive a high school equivalency certificate eligible for the College Bound Scholarship passed the House. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the bill that would add a student member to the State Board. Both bills now head to Gov. Bob Ferguson for his decision.

Also on Thursday, the Senate recognized former State Board chair and member of the Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney with a resolution honoring her work in the Legislature, including expanding access to higher education, supporting low-income students in high-demand fields, and championing the community and technical college system's I-BEST program. workforce, and English as a Second Language education.

House Finance Committee hears bill to extend Customized Training Program tax credit

April 4 — The bill that would extend the Customized Training Program’s business and occupation tax credit expiration date to July 1, 2031 was up for hearing during April 4’s House Finance Committee meeting. First created in 2006, the program provides interest-free loan assistance to businesses contracting with colleges for employee training. The State Board pays up-front costs that the business pays back once the training is complete. Businesses may take a B&O tax credit equal to 50% of the payment. The tax credit is set to expire July 1, 2026. The Senate passed the bill March 11.

“It's a program that's working for not only our employers, but their employees and the trainees,” Sen. Judy Warnick, prime sponsor of SB 5682, said.

Carolyn McKinnon, a workforce policy associate with the State Board, told the committee that the program, like the Job Skills Program, help businesses with their training needs.

“It's a small tool, but an important tool, to help businesses keep and grow good jobs in Washington and adapt to technological changes,” she said.

Don Sosnowski, executive director of training at Clover Park Technical College, also spoke in favor of the bill, telling committee members that his college has provided training over the past 10 years to employees at 19 organizations with grants of $650,000.

“Clover Park is proud to help businesses in our region adapt and thrive in a competitive environment. We do that by providing employer-specific custom training supported by the Customized Training Program,” he said. “Without this program, employers would have less access to affordable training that meets their unique needs. We urge you to extend the tax credit so the program can continue to keep Washington strong and competitive.”

Mike Nielsen, executive director of corporate and continuing education at Seattle Colleges, testified in favor of the bill saying it particularly helps small businesses that would not otherwise be able to afford employee training opportunities.

“This program is an important part of our economic and workforce development toolkit, and we urge you to extend the tax credit so that we continue to keep Washington strong and competitive,” he said.

The Finance Committee voted to approve the bill at its hearing April 7.

House Appropriations hears fiscal impact of Tribal elders waiver, College Bound expansion bills

April 4 — The House Appropriations Committee heard two State Board-requested bills at its hearing April 4. Up first was the bill that would authorize colleges to waive part or all of tuition and fees for elders over the age of 55 who are members of Washington’s 29 federally-recognized Tribes. SB 5110 unanimously passed the Senate Feb. 28 and passed the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee March 26.

“By lowering the eligibility age to 55, this bill acknowledges that tribal elders may have fewer opportunities to pursue educational activities later in life due to challenges. Access to tuition waivers would help ensure that they have the chance to further their education regardless of a shortened life expectancy or other socioeconomic barriers they may face,” Maya Esquivido-Strom, interim director of tribal government affairs with the State Board, said.

Also testifying was Suzy Ames, president of Peninsula College. That college, she told committee members, works closely with representatives of the six federally-recognized tribes in its service area.

“This bill specifically would allow community colleges to be more culturally relevant by recognizing that each tribe defines elders differently. Lowering the age threshold would allow colleges to engage in a deeper conversation with each tribe to offer a tuition waiver for more Indigenous members who are already acknowledged as elders within their tribe,” she said.

Also up for a hearing was a bill that would make students who receive a high school equivalency certificate eligible for the College Bound Scholarship, SB 5543. Under current law, the scholarship may go to community and technical college students who graduate from high school without a felony conviction and whose families do not exceed 65% of the state median family income. It's available to students attending a public or private university who must maintain a C average while in high school to be eligible for the scholarship. The Senate unanimously passed the bill March 7. The House committee passed its version of the bill Feb. 11 and the Senate’s version March 26.

“This bill creates the opportunity for the state to provide equity and educational funding and opportunity for all pathways to a secondary credential, ensuring every eligible Washington resident benefits from the college bound scholarship,” Troy Goracke, a State Board basic education for adults policy associate who serves as the state’s GED® administrator, said.

The Appropriations Committee voted to pass both bills at its hearing April 5.

Trustees confirmed by Senate

The Senate late last week and this week confirmed four trustees to the boards of their colleges and three members of the State Board:

Coming up next week

Floor action will continue until Wednesday when bills from the opposite chamber need to be approved to continue in the legislative process. Following that floor cutoff deadline, the Legislature will turn to conferences in which bills that saw amendments from the time they passed their originating chamber need to be reconciled for the House and Senate to vote on the final version.