This bill amends RCW 28B.92.030 and adds new sections to chapter 28B.92 RCW to change how the "maximum Washington college grant" is calculated and awarded. It sets fixed dollar maximums for certain private institutions and Western Governors University‑Washington ($9,739 for private four‑year not‑for‑profit; $3,694 for two‑year private not‑for‑profit; $8,517 for four‑year private for‑profit; $2,823 for two‑year private for‑profit; $5,619 for Western Governors University‑Washington when qualifying), and sets the maximum for public two‑ and four‑year institutions as tuition plus estimated operating/building/services fees for 15 quarter credits (or equivalent) as determined by the office. The fixed dollar amounts must increase each year beginning in 2025‑26 by no more than a defined "tuition growth factor." Approved apprenticeship programs are treated like two‑year public institutions beginning in 2022‑23 and grant funds may cover tuition and fees, program supplies and equipment, and other costs that facilitate educational endeavors. The measure creates a procedural eligibility condition: institutions may sign an annual affidavit attesting to specified nondiscrimination policies (rules to allow annual signing are to be adopted by the Office of Student Financial Assistance) and signing is a condition for receiving the adjusted maximum grant amounts described in RCW 28B.92.030. Institutions that do not sign the affidavit, or that are subject to a prefinding settlement or final court order under the new section, receive alternative specified amounts or a 2024‑25 baseline amount. The bill also provides that institutions subject to a prefinding settlement or final court order for discriminatory employment practices under chapter 49.60 RCW are ineligible for grant adjustments unless they fulfill the order/settlement conditions or take corrective steps as determined by the Washington State Human Rights Commission; an institution facing attorney general litigation under RCW 49.60.350 may continue to receive the tuition growth factor until a final adjudicating order. Legally, this is both a modification of existing law (RCW 28B.92.030) and the creation of new statutory sections adding substantive funding formulas and procedural eligibility requirements for the Washington college grant program. The excerpt is incomplete: the text of the referenced "section 3" (prefinding settlement/final court order) and the remainder of one nondiscrimination provision are not provided, and other sections or definitions referenced elsewhere in the bill are not included, so some operative details and placement are unclear.

If enacted, the bill makes eligibility for higher maximum Washington college grant amounts conditional on institutions signing an annual nondiscrimination affidavit and clarifies set maximum dollar awards for private colleges and Western Governors University‑Washington while tying public two‑ and four‑year institutions’ maximums to tuition and estimated fees for 15 quarter credits. Apprenticeship programs get the same maximum as two‑year public colleges beginning 2022‑23 and may use grant money for tuition, fees, supplies, equipment and other educational costs. The fixed dollar amounts for the named private institutions and WGU will grow each year beginning 2025‑26 by no more than a capped “tuition growth factor,” which creates more predictable, but potentially limited, grant increases for those schools and their students. The groups most affected are public and private colleges, Western Governors University‑Washington, approved apprenticeship programs, and students relying on the Washington college grant; institutions will face a new administrative requirement to sign the affidavit annually and institutions with prefinding settlements or final court orders for discriminatory employment practices risk losing adjusted grant increases unless they fulfill court or commission conditions, potentially reducing funding available to their students. The text provided contains conflicting language about whether doing nothing about the affidavit affects grant levels, and the missing “section 3” details leave unclear exactly when and how institutions are disqualified or returned to adjusted grant amounts.