Highlights from the 2023 Legislative Session for WPN Students and Providers
The 2023 legislative session that concluded at the end of April was a partial success from a policy and funding perspective for young people who have experienced foster care and those who have struggled with homelessness.
Basic Needs Support Expanded for Students
A major challenge for all students that was exacerbated by the pandemic is meeting their basic needs. Student basic needs are food, water, shelter, clothing, physical health, mental health, childcare, or similar needs that students enrolled in school may face difficulty with, and that hinder their ability to begin or continue their enrollment. For some, the struggle to meet basic needs made pursuing higher education out of reach, while others who persisted in their college studies were left to deal with financial challenges and in some cases mental health impacts.
A bright light from the session was the passage of the Postsecondary Basic Needs Act, 2SHB 1559. Along with several other changes, HB 1559 requires all public and tribal postsecondary institutions to develop a basic needs strategic plan and hire a Benefits Navigator to assist students in accessing resources from benefits programs, emergency resources, and community resources. This bill draws on the findings of a 2022 statewide survey in 39 community and technical colleges and universities organized by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), which found that nearly half of all Washington students attending a two or four-year institution had experienced food or housing insecurity or homelessness in the previous 12 months. Among students reporting food or housing insecurity, less than half had accessed existing community or campus resources.
As bill sponsor Representative Entenman said, “Whether it’s at a university, technical college or community college, HB 1559 is an important step towards ensuring that all students have access to healthy, nutritious food while pursuing their education. Food insecurity is one less thing students have to worry about while studying for a brighter future.”
In a similar vein, E2SHB 1238 was passed with strong support from child welfare advocates. The WA Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) requested and received funding to provide all Washington students with meals at school each day at no out-of-pocket cost to the student or their family. Through this bill, the Legislature made progress on OSPI’s request by phasing-in universal meals at public schools that serve students in grades K–4 with certain percentages of students who are identified as low-income, which means that in eligible schools, all students would have access to free meals, not only students in grades K–4. With this legislation, over 200 additional Washington schools will be able to provide universal meals for their students over the next two school years. [learn_more caption=”From the bill report:”] To qualify for free school meals, a student’s family income must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Students whose families have an income between 130 percent and 185 percent of the FPL are eligible for reduced-price meals. Students whose families earn more than 185 percent of the FPL pay full price, but the meals are federally subsidized to some extent.[/learn_more]
Another legislative win this session was the passage of SHB 1406 which increases shelter access to minors by authorizing a child to remain in a licensed shelter or with another licensed organization that provides services to homeless or runaway youth for up to 90 days if the shelter or organization is unable to make contact with a parent, or if contact is made and the parent does not request that the child return home. A main component of this bill is that it requires the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs to provide additional funding and assistance to contracted youth services providers or other entities that convene a community support team.
The Need for Extended Foster Care
However, these changes are helpful but not enough for the Passport population. One of the challenges faced by young people exiting care is the loss of supports when they turn 18. Passport Leadership Team member Curtis Anderson brought his own lived experience to the legislature in his advocacy for SB 5230 by helping legislators and community members understand the need for additional supports as young people age out of foster care and extended foster care. SB 5230 addresses the need for continued support after the age of 21 as most students are still in college at that time and struggle from losing resources. This bill establishes a Post-Extended Foster Care Program that is defined as: continued supportive services, a financial subsidy, housing navigation, or connection to housing programs provided by the department for young adults ages 21 through 25 who were previously enrolled in extended foster care services. Although SB 5230 didn’t pass this year due to the high cost to implement, it is highly likely that leaders on this bill such as the sponsor, Senator Claire Wilson, The Mockingbird Society, The Child Welfare Advocacy Coalition (CWAC), and other advocates, will regroup and try again next year.
Reliable Student Transportation
Another important bill that did not pass this session was SB 5174, which was created to ensure more predictable and reliable student transportation. SB 5174 was another agency-request bill from OSPI that was informed through feedback from school districts regarding the complicated current funding allocations for student transportation. If it had passed, this bill would transition our state to a less complex funding model that produces more accurate funding allocations for transportation.
Although we highlighted a few specific bills, 2,302 bills were introduced over the course of the 105-day session, with 494 bills signed into law. These covered a range of topics. For more bill information relevant to the Passport population, you can view our WPN 2023 Legislative Updates Webinar presentation.
Millions of dollars were put into the budget to support youth this year, including specifically those from foster care and homelessness (view highlights on slide 17). High-quality implementation of these programs and the spending of allocated dollars are essential and must be monitored closely. At the same time, practitioners and advocates including members of the Washington Passport Network will keep discussing the challenges and solutions, as well as continuing to communicate with legislators, to make progress in reducing barriers and providing systems that ensure all youth can thrive.
