---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizing community and technical colleges to offer bachelor degrees in computer science."
description: "Authorizing community and technical colleges to offer bachelor degrees in computer science."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "SB 5401"
citation: "Washington SB 5401 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES", "COMPUTERS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Nguyen"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 38
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-02-02T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2021-04-26T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/96f4ab3e-1423-4b7f-945e-064c7f237bbb"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5401&year=2021"
source_hash: "ad40947d0bd398dd6a936e8e5a68b22778fe64a04873b5e15bda3b3802ae4440"
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 SB 5401 (2021-2022) — Authorizing community and technical colleges to offer bachelor degrees in computer science.

## 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/2021-22/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5401.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2021-22/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5401-S.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#1) — **96–2** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#3) — **48–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Nguyen — primary (person)
- C. Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- Cleveland — cosponsor (person)
- Das — cosponsor (person)
- Dhingra — cosponsor (person)
- Gildon — cosponsor (person)
- Hasegawa — cosponsor (person)
- Holy — cosponsor (person)
- Keiser — cosponsor (person)
- Kuderer — cosponsor (person)
- Liias — cosponsor (person)
- Lovelett — cosponsor (person)
- Mullet — cosponsor (person)
- Rivers — cosponsor (person)
- Saldaña — cosponsor (person)
- Stanford — cosponsor (person)
- Wellman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-02T05:00:00+00:00** First reading, referred to Higher Education & Workforce Development. `reading-1`
- **2021-02-04T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development at 1:30 PM.
- **2021-02-09T05:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development at 1:30 PM.
- **2021-02-09T05:00:00+00:00** HEWD - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2021-02-10T05:00:00+00:00** On motion, referred to Ways & Means.
- **2021-02-19T05:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 9:00 AM.
- **2021-02-19T05:00:00+00:00** WM - Majority; without recommendation.
- **2021-02-22T05:00:00+00:00** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2021-02-25T05:00:00+00:00** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2021-03-02T05:00:00+00:00** 1st substitute bill substituted (HEWD 21). `substitution`
- **2021-03-02T05:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2021-03-02T05:00:00+00:00** Third reading, passed; yeas, 48; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2021-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** First reading, referred to College & Workforce Development. `reading-1`
- **2021-03-11T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development at 10:00 AM.
- **2021-03-17T04:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development at 8:00 AM.
- **2021-03-17T04:00:00+00:00** CWD - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-30T04:00:00+00:00** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2021-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2021-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** APP - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2021-04-02T04:00:00+00:00** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-05T04:00:00+00:00** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2021-04-07T04:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2021-04-07T04:00:00+00:00** Third reading, passed; yeas, 96; nays, 2; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2021-04-10T04:00:00+00:00** President signed. `passage`
- **2021-04-12T04:00:00+00:00** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2021-04-20T04:00:00+00:00** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-26T04:00:00+00:00** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-26T04:00:00+00:00** Chapter 147, 2021 Laws. `became-law`
- **2021-04-26T04:00:00+00:00** Effective date 7/25/2021. `became-law`
- **2021-02-04T18:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development at 01:30 PM
- **2021-02-09T18:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development at 01:30 PM
- **2021-02-19T14:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 09:00 AM
- **2021-03-11T15:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development at 10:00 AM
- **2021-03-17T12:00:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development at 08:00 AM
- **2021-03-30T17:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 01:30 PM
- **2021-03-31T17:30:00+00:00** Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 01:30 PM

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/96f4ab3e-1423-4b7f-945e-064c7f237bbb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).