Last updated 5/1/2007

Legislative hotline number is 1-800-562-6000.

For information regarding current members of the education committees

Education Committees 2007 Legislative Session   

The following is proposed legislation that may have an effect on homeschooling.

SB5521 an act relating to studying traffic safety education options for students receiving home-based instruction. This bill would convene an advisory committee to study this issue, the committee shall include the superintendent of public instruction designee, commercial driving schools, the Washington Homeschool Organization, private providers, and parents.

Our concern with this bill is that legislation to approve any curriculum used by home educators could be used as a back door to allow the State Superintendent’s Office an inroad to approve ALL curriculum used by homeschoolers.

Sponsors: Senators Honeyford and Delvin

SB 5521 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5521.pdf

Status: Bill is dead, CHN was able to have this bill stopped before going to committee.

Position: Opposed

Action: None needed bill is dead. NOTE: CHN is already working on legislation to address options for drivers education for home-based students, without risking potential back door regulations on home education, see SB5448 parent taught drivers education below.

HB 1772 An act relating to the voluntary participation in the Washington assessment student learning (WASL) of student learning by students enrolled in private schools.

Originally, this bill included home-based students. CHN was able to meet with key legislators and have home based students removed from this bill before the bill was dropped. We have since learned that this bill contains a clause that would make the WASL "required of public school students" which would change current laws. We are thankful that the several days we have spent in Olympia paid off by working to have homeschoolers excluded from this bill.

Note: It is against Federal law to require home-based students to take a state test, in this case the WASL, under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Sponsor: Rep. Quall

Original bill HB1772 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1772.pdf

Substitute bill HB1772  http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5098-S.pdf

Status: Bill is dead due to not making deadline in Appropriations Committee.

Position: Neutral

Action: None

Other bills of interest:

SB 5448 Allowing for parent taught drivers education. This bill would allow for parents/guardians to teach an approved commercial drivers education course at home versus enrolling youth in a commercial driving school. Under current law it is mandatory for a youth under the age of 18 years of age to have completed a traffic safety course from a commercial driving school.

We would like to reiterate that this proposed legislation does not just benefit homeschool students but benefits all students as an option to the commercial driving schools.

Sponsors: Senators Swecker, Benton, Sheldon, Pflug.

SB 5448 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5448.pdf

*Note SB5333 was amended to include the setting up of an oversight committee, one of their tasks will be to consider parent taught drivers education.

Status: Bill died in committee due to no action taken by committee.

Position: Support

Action: None needed at this time.

SB 5333 An act relating to teenage drivers. In the 2000 legislative session a law was passed to enact the “intermediate drivers license” which placed some restrictions on drivers under the age of 18. In January 2007 a follow up study was conducted by the Joint Transportation Legislative Committee, they made several recommendations to the legislature to improve this program.

This bill reflects many of their recommendations. Some highlights to the bill, raises the age to obtain a learners permit to 16 years old, and requires enrollment in a commercial driving school. A youth is required to be enrolled in school. According to the study enrolled in school means either public, private, or home-based.

Sponsors: Senators Murray, Eide, Jacobsen, Marr, Spanel, and Shin.

Original bill SB 5333 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5333.pdf

Substitute bill SB5333 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5333-S.pdf

Teenage Driving Study January 2007, Joint Transportation Committee

http://www.leg.wa.gov/documents/LTC/jtc/Teenage%20Driving%20Study%201-%2010%20-07.pdf

CHN would like to see parent taught drivers education to be allowed as an option to the mandatory commercial driving schools/public school programs. See CHN’s bill on this issue SB5448.

SB5333 was amended to include an oversight committee, one of their tasks will be to include evaluating parent taught drivers education as a viable option, recommendations would be made to the legislature in 2010.

Status: Bill is dead due to not making deadline to pass from the Senate to the House.

Position: Neutral

Action: None needed.

NOTE: Senator Eide introduced a bill that would remove the “sunset” provision in the intermediate drivers law, SB 5036 which passed into law.

http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5036.PL.pdf

SB 5098 An act relating to the Washington guaranteed scholarship program 

This bill would award scholarships to students from low-income families or students that may be the first in their family to attend college. In the 7^th or 8^th grade a student would sign a pledge to graduate with at least a “C” average and with no felony convictions.

A school district would notify students of their eligibility. Originally, this bill did not include home-based students. After CHN met with the prime sponsor of the bill Senator Rockefeller and discussed why home-based students were not included., the bill was later  re-written to  now include home-based students.

CHN has some concerns with how this legislation will be implemented such as; how the notification of students will be done, tracking of students, and acceptance of graduation requirements for home-based students. If this bill passes much of this will be addressed in the rules process. We are also concerned that passage of the WASL may later be added.

Sponsors: Senators Rockefeller, Keiser, Weinstein, Fairley, Marr, Murray, Kastama, Kohl-Welles, Rasmussen, McAuliffe, Kauffman and Kilmer.

Final bill as passed legislature:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5098-S2.PL.pdf

History: Bill was introduced 1/10 and went to the Higher Education committee. Feb 24^th this bill had a hearing in Higher Education, no homeschoolers testified.

Status:  4/18 Bill passed legislature, delivered to Governor.

Position: Neutral

Action: None needed at this time

HB 1779 An act relating to the GET ready for math and science scholarship program 

This bill would award scholarships to students from low-income families and score level four on the WASL or in the 95 percentile on the SAT or ACT, and agree to study math or science in the state of Washington and work three years in the state upon graduation from college.

Final bill as passed into law:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1779-S2.PL.pdf

History: Originally, this bill only allowed scoring well on the WASL to qualify for this scholarship. CHN has worked very hard in this session and past sessions  to make the legislature aware of the fact that the WASL is not a test homeschoolers are required to take and that scores from the SAT or ACT could be used instead. Thankfully, we have been heard and this bill was changed so that homeschoolers have equal access to this scholarship.

Status:  Bill passed into law, Governor signed 4/27/07

Position: Neutral

Action: NA

SB5071/HB1108 An act allowing for grandparents to petition courts to allow for visitations.

Sponsors in Senate- Fairley(prime), Kohl-Welles, Shin, Rasmussen

Sponsors in House- Haler(prime), Kessler, McDonald, Moeller, Morell, Hankins, Dunshee, McCoy, Ormsby, Hudgins, Sells, Haigh, Kenney, Springer, Wallace

HB 1108 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1108.pdf

SB 5071 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5071.pdf

This bill threatens parental rights, which is the very foundation of our homeschool rights and freedoms. Read HSLDA’s e-alert for more on this bill and this issue.

Status:

Senate- Billed died in committee.

House- Bill died in committee.

Position: Opposed

Action: None needed at this time.

SB5297 Regarding sex education in schools.

This bill requires schools that teach sex education to use the state’s curriculum. CHN attended the hearing to oppose this bill due to the language “all schools.” We wanted the bill to be clear that they meant public schools.  We also spoke to a Senator on the education committee, who assured us that the language would be corrected to read “public schools.” The language of the bill was changed.

Final bill as passed legislature:

 http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5297-S.PL.pdf

Status: 4/18 Bill passed legislature, delivered to Governor

Position: Neutral

Action:  NA

Special message from Senator Val Stevens 6/15/2007

The Washington Learns report will be key this legislative session in making many significant changes to the public school system. While homeschoolers are not directly mentioned in this report some of the “cradle to grave” philosophies could create laws or policies that may impact home educators; such as early childhood development, lowing the compulsory school age, college admissions, and jobs.

We encourage you to read this report http://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/FinalReport.pdf

There are many bills addressing the  Washington Learns report, the main bill is SB 5501.

SB 5501 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5501&year=2007

Governor Gregoire’s proposed 2007-09 budget http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget07/default.asp

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Washington State Legislative web site http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature

Course of a Bill (great visual chart of the entire process)
http://www.leg.wa.gov/common/backtoschool/images/BILLCOURSE.pdf

Overview of the Legislative Process
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/WorkingwithLeg/Overview.htm