HB 2474 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning postsecondary education consumer protections in the event of school or program closures.

HB 2474 creates a tuition recovery trust fund to protect students if private colleges licensed under Washington state law close or violate consumer protection rules. It requires schools to make cash deposits into this fund to cover refunds, record transfers, or teach-out options for affected students. Schools must offer students a comparable program at another institution or a teach-out plan if they discontinue operations, and they must refund tuition if they fail to comply. The bill also voids student debt for programs discontinued in violation of these requirements, directly benefiting students enrolled in closing programs.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill text was updated from the original House Bill format to the Substitute Bill format, reflecting amendments made during the legislative process. The substantive policy content, including the establishment of a tuition recovery trust fund, fee structures, and consumer protection requirements for school closures, remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

Header information was updated to reflect the bill's progression to the Substitute stage, including a change in the reading date from January 14, 2026, to February 4, 2026, and a change in the sponsoring committee attribution.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
9
Committee
11
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
APP - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Postsecondary Education & Workforce.
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Appropriations.
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

Sponsors