H-2115.1
HOUSE BILL 2070
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Timmons, Lekanoff, Ramel, Rule, Parshley, Scott, and Pollet
Read first time 04/04/25. Referred to Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce.
AN ACT Relating to state funding parity for Western Washington University; adding a new section to chapter 28B.35 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that Western Washington University has received the lowest funding on a per-student basis for much of the last three decades. Despite strong enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, students at Western Washington University bear the greatest cost of their education compared with students at other public universities and community and technical colleges in Washington. The legislature finds that Washington has a postsecondary educational attainment crisis, with less than half of graduating high school seniors participating in postsecondary education. The majority, 70 percent, of family-wage jobs in Washington require a bachelor's degree and this trend is projected to continue. Over the next decade, Washington will need nearly 300,000 more workers with bachelor's degrees. The legislature recognizes the important role of regional comprehensive universities in supporting the education of Washington residents and seeks to rectify the historical per-student funding disparity.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.35 RCW to read as follows: