Panel Hears Bill to Create Fuel‑assistance Grants for Large Rural Districts

Senate Bill 5,670, presented to the Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee, would create a fuel tax assistance grant program—subject to appropriation—intended to help rural school districts with very large geographic areas cover increased transportation costs associated with rising fuel prices.

According to committee staff, the bill would make districts with geographic areas of 450 square miles or greater eligible for grants administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Staff noted a fiscal estimate released during the hearing that identified 45 eligible districts by geographic size; 26 of those districts currently show underfunded transportation amounts totaling $3,400,000, but the bill’s total cost would be determined by future appropriations and the final budget.

Student testimony underscored the bill’s intent. Johnson Lai, a twelfth‑grade student from Lake Washington High School, said transportation costs create burdens for families with multiple children and large travel distances for extracurricular activities, and recommended that assistance be extended in a way that helps families as well as districts.

Committee staff answered technical questions about eligibility and administration but the hearing did not include extended debate or a committee vote; staff said the proposed program would be funded subject to appropriation and that detailed cost outcomes depend on the budget process.