SB 6082

S-3840.1
  SENATE BILL 6082
State of Washington  69th Legislature      2026 Regular Session
By Senators Boehnke and Dozier
Read first time 01/13/26.    Referred to Committee on Higher Education
& Workforce Development.
1      AN ACT Relating to safeguarding student financial aid from fraud;
2  creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.
3  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 1.   (1) Within existing resources, the joint
5 legislative audit and review committee shall complete a systemic
6 performance audit of fraud in the state's financial aid programs. The
7 purpose of the audit is to determine the extent to which financial
8 aid fraud is occurring at institutions of higher education that
9 receive and distribute financial aid to students. To the extent
10 possible, the study must determine:
11     (a)   The  number   of   fictitious  students   enrolled,  denied
12 enrollment, and disenrolled at institutions that receive financial
13 aid;
14      (b) Any trends in fraudulent enrollments, such as preferred
15 course types or targeted colleges;
16     (c) The amount of federal, state, and local financial aid and
17 other forms of assistance that have been provided to fictitious
18 students. To the extent possible, the study must determine the amount
19 recovered;
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1     (d) Identify systemic weaknesses that may be exploited to enroll
2 fictitious students, including the use of artificial intelligence for
3 such purposes;
4     (e)   Any   unintended  consequences   to   full-time   equivalent
5 calculations and funding to institutions; and
6     (f) Other issues that may be relevant and significant to the
7 audit.
8     (2) The auditor shall report findings and recommendations to the
9 appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2027. The
10 report must include, but is not limited to, the following elements as
11 they relate to the audit:
12     (a) Analysis of gaps in fraud prevention;
13     (b) Evaluation of the use of any funding used for cybersecurity,
14 including efforts to combat enrollment and financial aid fraud;
15     (c) Evaluation of any current actions used by participating
16 institutions to combat financial aid fraud; and
17     (d) Recommendations for statutory and regulatory changes that may
18 be necessary to protect student financial aid from fraud.
19     (3) This section expires July 1, 2028.
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