2024 Legislative Session Preview

The legislative session is rapidly approaching, and we want to make sure you have the tools to stay informed and engage in the legislative process as you see fit. This year’s session is a “short session”, which focuses on passing a supplemental budget but is also an opportunity for policy bills to be heard. The 2024 legislative session is scheduled to begin on January 8 and end on March 8. 

College Success Foundation is a public-private partnership. To learn more about our programs and FY24 budget ask here. This session, the CSF Advocacy Team is supporting a couple of focus areas for the Passport to Careers (PTC) program.

First and foremost, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) is requesting an increase in funding for the Passport program to expand PTC eligibility to age 26 which aligns with federal guidelines for Federal Pell Grant eligibility. This will also match  with the College Grant (formerly Washington College Grant), our state’s premium need-based aid program) and streamline aid for recipients. 

The WSAC budget request to the Governor (also known as a decision package) is for $2 million for FY25 and $2.9 million for FY26 and beyond. This request would allow Passport awards to remain at the current level of $5,000 annual award for the forecasted increase in eligible students. It would also continue the provision of $500 each quarter per PTC-eligible full-time student on campuses. Lastly, it would include a small increase in funding to the College Success Foundation as the contracted provider of support services for professionals supporting Passport students. This would be the first increase to CSF for this work which started 14 years ago in 2009. 

For additional information on WSAC priorities, see pages 17-18 of their 2024 Strategic Action Plan. 

Additional partner priorities:

If you’d like to stay in the loop with legislative activities, please sign up for our advocacy action alerts here. We will send you weekly updates about bills we are tracking related to educational access and support for students furthest from educational opportunity (first-gen students, students from low-income families, students of color, students experiencing foster care, and students experiencing homelessness). 

Once the legislative session starts, there are many ways you can get involved or learn more! It is beneficial for legislators to hear about provider and student experiences. Here are a couple of ways to stay engaged:

  • Most hearings can be watched live and/or afterward on TVW.
  • You can state your position (support/oppose/other) for the record. This is all online and only takes a minute. link?
  • You can submit written testimony. Until 24 hours after the bill was heard; all online. link?
  • You can provide verbal testimony virtually. This requires registration.

If you are interested in any of the options above, you can register here once bill hearings start getting scheduled.

Meanwhile, you can reach out with any questions to Emily at EStochel@collegesuccessfoundation.org. 

We wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season!