Legislative News from Rep. Noel Frame (D-Seattle)
OLYMPIA – Representative Noel Frame has sponsored bills aimed at combating youth homelessness and addressing college affordability, which passed the Washington House of Representatives yesterday. Both receiving bipartisan support, HB 1561 and HB 1816 now move to the Senate for consideration.
“When I came to the legislature, I made a promise to reduce systemic barriers to success, including those for youth,” said Frame. “These bills take steps toward helping children out of homelessness and making college more affordable. We have an obligation to provide the best opportunities possible for our youth; this is at the heart of my legislative priorities.”
HB 1561 addresses the ever-increasing cost of college textbooks and materials. This bill will expand the use of open educational resources (OER) at public four year colleges. OERs are open source instructional materials, which are free and available for use by anyone. Use of OERs in the state’s community and technical colleges have created a 20 percent savings in costs of course materials.
HB 1816 fills a need not directly addressed by the Homeless Youth Act – namely, lifting communication barriers between state agencies. The bill allows the Children’s Administration to disclose certain confidential information about youth in the state’s care to Crisis Residential Center (CRC) and HOPE Center staff. This information allows staff to make thoughtful decisions about placement, safety and service needs of these vulnerable youth.