Gov. Inslee to sign immigrant financial aid bill

Gov. Jay Inslee is scheduled on Wednesday to sign into law a measure that expands state college financial aid to students in the country without legal status.

In a highly divided Legislature, passage of the bill represents a big win for immigrant advocates.

The Senate and House versions of the bill were almost identical but had different names. The House version didn’t identify a funding source, but the Senate proposal allocates $5 million through June 30, 2015, from the general fund to pay for the financial aid payments under the state need-grant program.

The bill requires students to have received a high school diploma or equivalent in Washington state and to have lived in the state for at least three years before getting aid.

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