This is the third week of the short, 60-day legislative session. The cut-off for all policy bills to be passed out of their respective committees is February 3rd, and we can expect a lot of action over the next two weeks.
There are a few bills that are on committee schedules this week and that are of particular interest:
- Senate Bill 5902 will receive a hearing today, 1/24, in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee. At FFTS we have some concerns about the details of this bill’s proposal to reduce the required number of credits required for high school graduation. We’ll be watching today’s hearing closely.
- Senate Bill 5789 is scheduled for a vote on Thursday, 1/27, in the Senate Higher Educations and Workforce Development Committee. This bill would create a new state grant program to support partnerships and coalitions that are working to help students navigate postsecondary pathway options. We are big supporters of this bill at FFTS!
- Senate Bill 5838 is also scheduled for a vote this Thursday in the Senate Human Services, Reentry and Rehabilitation Committee. This bill would provide low-income households in Washington with a monthly payment to assist with childcare necessities such as diapers and formula. Senator T’wina Nobles from Fircrest is the bill’s sponsor.
- House Bill 1867 is scheduled for a vote on Friday, 1/28, in the House Education Committee. This bill will improve our data collection and reporting around dual credit program uptake, and our friends at WA STEM are advocating for its passage.
The FFTS bill tracker is your one-stop reference point for all bills with any cradle-to-career intersections. You can also join our GTAN Slack to connect with our network of advocates throughout the week.