This bill would add a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW creating a new statutory prohibition for public institutions of higher education. It bars those institutions from using state appropriated funds or funds received from student tuition and fees to repair property damage that results from a "demonstration, riot, or other activity that disrupts the normal educational process" that the institution allows. This is a new financial/administrative restriction rather than a criminal penalty or procedural rule. The extracted text does not define key terms such as "allows," "demonstration," "riot," "disrupts the normal educational process," or "destruction of property," and it includes no enforcement mechanism, penalties, exceptions, alternative funding sources, or effective date. The bill is H-0789.1 / House Bill 1851 (69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session), was read first time 02/05/25, and was referred to the Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce; sponsors include Representatives Graham, Ley, Volz, Marshall, Dufault, and Eslick.

If enacted, public colleges and universities in Washington would no longer be able to use state appropriations or money collected from student tuition and fees to pay to repair property damage that results from demonstrations, riots, or other activities that disrupt normal education when the institution "allows" them. Practically, that shifts financial risk for those repair bills away from those two funding sources and means institutions will have to find other ways to cover repairs or absorb the costs, which could tighten campus budgets, prompt changes in campus event or security policies, or increase reliance on insurance or non-state/private funds. The provision most directly affects public institutions of higher education and the specific funding streams named; students and the state budget would be affected indirectly by how institutions respond. Important details are missing from the text provided—key terms like "allows," "demonstration," and "destruction of property" are not defined, there is no enforcement or penalty process described, and no effective date is given—so it is unclear how responsibility will be determined or what alternative funding options will be permitted in practice.