This bill reenacts and amends RCW 28B.92.200 to create and establish the Washington college grant program as a statewide "free college" program. The office named in the statute is directed to implement and administer the program, the legislature must appropriate funding, and the office may adopt rules for implementation. Awards to eligible students are to begin in the 2020-21 academic year, with allocations based on estimated eligible participants enrolled in eligible Washington institutions of higher education, registered apprenticeship programs, or approved certificate programs. Eligibility rules in the section require demonstration of financial need as defined in RCW 28B.92.205 plus specified public-assistance or related conditions, Washington residency, filing an annual financial aid application approved by the office, and not already holding a baccalaureate degree. Qualifying enrollment includes at least three quarter credits (or semester equivalent) at a Washington institution, enrollment in a registered apprenticeship under chapter 49.04 RCW, or enrollment in an office-designated certificate program in a high-demand field. The section limits eligibility to no more than six years or 150 percent of program length, provides prorated grants for part-time students, requires satisfactory academic progress for renewal, and requires institutions to return unused grant amounts per institutional refund policies. Beginning in 2025-26, the section extends a specified high-school eligibility pathway to 10th–12th graders in households receiving Washington basic food or Washington food assistance benefits. Legally, this is a statutory amendment that both creates a new statewide grant program and establishes administrative and procedural requirements for eligibility, award distributions, and institutional responsibilities; it does not create new crimes or change penalties. The extract references several other RCW sections for definitions and processes, but the specific office and council named to administer and adopt rules are not identified here, and other sections of the bill or statute not included in the provided facts may be needed to fully understand implementation details.

If enacted, eligible low‑income and public‑assistance students (including apprentices and students in eligible certificate programs, and certain high‑school students receiving food assistance beginning in 2025‑26) would be entitled to state Washington college grants that can cover college costs beginning in the 2020–21 academic year, subject to demonstrated financial need, residency, enrollment minimums, annual filing, satisfactory academic progress, part‑time pro‑rating, and limits on total years of eligibility. Practically, this will likely reduce out‑of‑pocket costs and increase access and enrollment for those students but only to the extent the Legislature actually appropriates the required funding. Colleges, registered apprenticeship sponsors, and certificate programs will need to administer the grants, decide renewals when family income rises slightly, prorate awards for part‑time students, and return unused funds when students withdraw under institutional refund policies, creating additional administrative responsibilities and reliance on timely state allocations. Key implementation details are unclear from the provided text—most notably which specific “office” and “council” will run the program and how “high‑demand” certificate programs and eligible institutions are defined—so the size of funding needs, institutional obligations, and risks depend on rules and appropriations that are not shown here.