HB 1447
In CommitteeHouse
Financial aid award amounts
Tracking Washington application for state financial aid award amounts.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill requires the state to track and publicly report how much financial aid each student receives through the Washington application for state financial aid, and to annually report application, award, and disbursement data to the legislature starting in 2026.
- Starting with the 2025-26 academic year, the state must track the total amount of state financial aid awarded to each student who uses the Washington application for state financial aid.
- The aggregated total award amounts must be made publicly available on the state’s website.
- Starting December 1, 2026, the state must submit an annual report to the legislature with data on: (a) total applications, (b) total recipients, and (c) total aid disbursed to each higher education institution.
- The reporting is required under RCW 43.01.036, which governs how state agencies report data to the legislature.
Who is affected
- Students — Students applying for or receiving state financial aid through the Washington application for state financial aid will be tracked, and their total award amounts will be included in publicly reported data.
- Higher education institutions — Colleges and universities will receive publicly reported data on the total amount of state aid disbursed to their students who applied via the Washington application for state financial aid.
- State legislature — State legislators will receive annual reports on application and aid distribution trends, which may inform future funding or policy decisions.
- State education agencies — The Washington Student Achievement Council (now part of the Higher Education Coordinating Board) and the Office of the Chancellor of the Washington Student Achievement Council (or its successor agency) will be responsible for collecting and publishing the data.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for benefits
Potential Benefits (3)
Publicly tracking and reporting state aid award amounts per student increases transparency about how financial aid is distributed, enabling students, families, and advocates to identify gaps in access or equity — especially for underrepresented groups — and hold the state accountable for equitable resource allocation.
EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1)Annual legislative reporting on application, award, and disbursement data will provide robust, standardized evidence to inform future policy decisions — such as adjusting aid formulas, expanding eligibility, or targeting support to institutions serving high-need populations — potentially improving long-term affordability and completion for Washington students.
EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 1(2)By making aggregated aid data public, the bill empowers high school counselors, community-based organizations, and families to better understand the scale and accessibility of state aid — which can improve outreach, reduce information asymmetry, and increase application rates among first-generation and low-income students.
EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1)
Potential Concerns (3)
Publicly reporting individual-level financial aid award amounts per student creates privacy risks — even with aggregation, determined actors could potentially re-identify students through cross-referencing with other publicly available data (e.g., institutional enrollment data, demographic profiles), especially for students at small institutions or in low-enrollment programs.
Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1)While the bill does not create new funding, it imposes new reporting obligations on state agencies (e.g., Higher Education Coordinating Board), which may require additional staff time or system upgrades to extract and verify data — costs that could divert resources from direct student support, especially if no dedicated funding is allocated for implementation.
Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(2)(c)The bill does not address underlying barriers to aid uptake (e.g., complex application processes, lack of awareness), and public reporting of award totals may inadvertently stigmatize students who receive aid — particularly low-income or first-generation students — by highlighting disparities in aid distribution without context or support mechanisms.
EducationLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(1)
Who Is Most Affected
Low- and moderate-income students applying for state aid benefit significantly from increased transparency and data-driven accountability, which can lead to improved program awareness, targeted outreach, and fairer resource distribution. However, privacy concerns exist — though mitigated by aggregation and anonymization in reporting.
Higher education institutions gain actionable data on aid flows to their students, enabling better financial planning and support services. However, institutions may face reputational scrutiny if their students receive disproportionately low aid, and small colleges may lack resources to interpret or act on the data effectively.
State legislators gain a critical data tool to assess equity and effectiveness of financial aid programs — enabling evidence-based adjustments to funding formulas or eligibility. However, without accompanying policy changes, data alone won’t improve outcomes.
State agencies (e.g., Higher Education Coordinating Board) gain authority to standardize data collection but face implementation burdens with no new funding — potentially straining existing staff and IT systems without offsetting benefits.