This bill creates new law by adding Sections 1 through 5 to chapter 28B.92 RCW to establish a college promise pilot program and an embedded high school promise pilot beginning in the 2025-26 academic year (subject to appropriations). Under the college pilot, a minimum of 100 students per year in a single 10-county regional promise program will be selected to receive up to $5,000 annually for tuition and fees, with award amounts calculated after all other state and federal aid and paid directly to the institution, apprenticeship, or credential program. The high school pilot provides graduating high school students full tuition for two years of community college within the same 10-county region. The act creates a college promise pilot program match transfer account in the custody of the state treasurer to receive appropriations, gifts, grants, and donations and requires state matching funds on an equal dollar basis to private grants, subject to appropriation. The act appropriates $500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and $1,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, to the student achievement council for deposit into the match transfer account, and the new sections expire August 1, 2029. The bill sets eligibility and administrative requirements: students must enroll in eligible postsecondary programs in the 10-county region within one year of high school graduation, complete the FAFSA or Washington application for state financial aid, have family income not exceeding 150% of the state median family income, and participate in a program that provides mentoring on post–high school education. The registered 501(c)(3) designated as the program administrator (a nonprofit headquartered east of the Cascade crest that serves 10 specified counties) must select three specific high schools in the most populous county east of the Cascade crest for the high school pilot and must submit a program report to the council for transmittal to legislative committees by December 1, 2028. Legally, the change is the creation of a new pilot program with associated funding, a new state account, matching-fund requirements, and reporting procedures; it is a procedural and funding change rather than a change in criminal law or penalties. The act references reporting procedures under RCW 43.01.036 and allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW. Important details are not specified in the extracted text: the bill repeatedly refers to “the council” without explicitly defining that term within these sections (although the appropriation is directed to the student achievement council), the specific 10 counties are not listed, the identity of the required registered 501(c)(3) is not provided, and the most populous county east of the Cascade crest is not named.

If enacted, a temporary pilot would put money into a regional promise program starting in the 2025–26 school year that can reduce college costs for low‑ and moderate‑income students in a ten‑county area by paying up to $5,000 a year after other state and federal aid, and by covering two years of community college tuition for selected recent high school graduates in that region. The state is appropriating initial implementation funds ($500,000 in FY 2026 and $1,000,000 in FY 2027) and will match private donations dollar‑for‑dollar into a special account, but matching payments and ongoing support depend on available appropriations; the law is a time‑limited pilot that expires August 1, 2029, and requires a report by December 1, 2028. The organizations most directly affected are the specified regional 501(c)(3) that will run the program and pick schools and students, the council named to receive and disburse funds (identified in the appropriation as the student achievement council), and postsecondary institutions and community colleges in the ten‑county region that would receive payments directly for participating students. The nonprofit gains new administrative and reporting duties and must meet selection and reporting deadlines; colleges may see increased enrollment from covered students and will get tuition payments after other aid is applied; the state’s fiscal exposure is limited to the listed appropriations and any further appropriations to match private gifts. Important details are missing from the extracted text—most notably the exact ten counties, the identity of the nonprofit, and explicit confirmation that “the council” refers to the student achievement council—which leaves some practical implementation questions unresolved.