---
type: "Bill"
title: "Regulating the institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions and private vocational schools, to protect students from unfair business practices."
description: "Regulating the institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions and private vocational schools, to protect students from unfair business practices."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "HB 1439"
citation: "Washington HB 1439 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COUNCIL", "COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES", "CONSUMER PROTECTION", "VOCATIONAL EDUCATION"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Pollet"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 68
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2017-01-19"
last_action: "2018-03-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/503ef46b-90a7-491b-896e-ff5739cf33b5"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1439&year=2017"
source_hash: "445c2f5358793dfd64058c366e89bc0e5e90a784bb2b44180a68b76addb8ad29"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington HB 1439 (2017-2018) — Regulating the institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions and private vocational schools, to protect students from unfair business practices.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1439.htm)
2. **Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1439-S2.E.htm)
3. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1439-S2.htm)
4. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1439-S.htm)

## Votes

- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#2) — **50–48** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage (#12) — **56–42** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#19) — **31–18** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage (#14) — **63–35** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Pollet — primary (person)
- Dolan — cosponsor (person)
- Fey — cosponsor (person)
- Haler — cosponsor (person)
- Orwall — cosponsor (person)
- Ryu — cosponsor (person)
- Sells — cosponsor (person)
- Stanford — cosponsor (person)
- Tarleton — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-19** First reading, referred to Higher Education (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report). `reading-1`
- **2017-02-17** HE - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-17** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-17** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-02** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-03** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-17** HE - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-17** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-17** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-02** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-03** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-02** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-03** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-03-03** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-03-03** Held on third reading.
- **2017-03-06** Returned to second reading for amendment.
- **2017-03-06** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2017-03-06** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-03-06** Third reading, passed; yeas, 56; nays, 42; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2017-03-08** First reading, referred to Higher Education. `reading-1`
- **2017-03-28** HIE - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
- **2017-03-28** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-29** Referred to Ways & Means.
- **2017-04-23** By resolution, returned to House Rules Committee for third reading.
- **2017-04-24** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2017-05-23** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2017-06-21** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2018-01-08** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2018-01-08** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration.
- **2018-01-08** Referred to Higher Education.
- **2018-01-12** Committee relieved of further consideration.
- **2018-01-12** Referred to Rules 3 Consideration.
- **2018-02-06** Placed on third reading by Rules Committee.
- **2018-02-07** Third reading, passed; yeas, 63; nays, 35; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2018-02-09** First reading, referred to Higher Education & Workforce Development. `reading-1`
- **2018-02-20** HEWD - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
- **2018-02-20** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2018-02-20** Minority; do not pass.
- **2018-02-20** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2018-02-22** Referred to Ways & Means.
- **2018-02-26** WM - Majority; do pass with amendment(s) by Ways & Means.
- **2018-02-26** Minority; do not pass.
- **2018-02-26** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2018-02-26** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2018-02-28** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
- **2018-03-01** Committee amendment(s) adopted as amended.
- **2018-03-01** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2018-03-01** Third reading, passed; yeas, 31; nays, 18; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2018-03-06** House concurred in Senate amendments.
- **2018-03-06** Passed final passage; yeas, 50; nays, 48; absent, 0; excused, 0. `passage`
- **2018-03-08** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2018-03-08** President signed. `passage`
- **2018-03-08** Delivered to Governor.
- **2018-03-22** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2018-03-22** Chapter 203, 2018 Laws. `became-law`
- **2018-03-22** Effective date 6/7/2018. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/503ef46b-90a7-491b-896e-ff5739cf33b5`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).