Senate bill would restore inflation indexing for Washington College Grant awards at private colleges, with anti‑discrimination affidavit

Senate Bill 5205, briefed and publicly heard in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee on Jan. 20, would restore an annual inflationary adjustment for Washington College Grant awards at private nonprofit four‑year colleges — but only for institutions that annually sign an affidavit certifying they have adopted policies aligned with the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WALAD).

Ben, committee bill staff, summarized the bill’s mechanics: under current law the maximum award for students at private nonprofit institutions had been delinked from the tuition growth factor in 2019; SB 5205 would require the Office of Student Financial Assistance to adopt rules allowing institutions to sign an affidavit and, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year, restore the tuition growth factor for private institutions that sign and are not subject to a related pre‑finding settlement or court order. Staff said a fiscal note had been requested but was not yet available at the time of the hearing.

Nut graf: Proponents argued the change is an equity measure that restores purchasing power for institutional aid at private colleges and prevents those awards from lagging behind public institutions that retain automatic adjustments. Opponents and public university representatives warned that private colleges already receive higher flat awards and questioned whether increasing the private award is the best way to allocate limited state financial aid.

Pacific Lutheran University President Alan Belton and other private college advocates testified in support, saying the delinking enacted in 2019 reduced the award’s buying power for students at private institutions and disproportionately affects students who must attend locally. Student speakers from private institutions described relying on Washington College Grant and institutional aid to attend and urged lawmakers to restore parity so awards track inflation.

Public university representatives did not oppose the bill outright but urged consideration of parity for public students. Sandy Kaiser, representing Evergreen State College and registering on behalf of other public comprehensive institutions, observed that the maximum college grant awards for independent private four‑year institutions currently exceed the maximum award amounts for some public comprehensive institutions and urged the committee to consider ways to provide comparable support to public students.

Questions from the committee sought details about current maximum award amounts and how many students receive college‑bound scholarship awards versus Washington College Grant awards at affected institutions; staff offered to follow up with those figures.

Ending: The committee closed testimony on SB 5205 after competing institutional perspectives and student testimony. A fiscal note remained pending and no committee vote occurred at the Jan. 20 hearing.