SB5849 — The student begins testimony on the bill.
SB5849 — Identified as the bill being supported by the witness.
SB5849 — Senate Bill 5849 was discussed during testimony, with speakers offering strong support for the bill, and the testimony on the bill then concluded.
Elena Becker — Committee staff presents the bill and begins the staff briefing.
Jeff Wilson — Senator Wilson asks how the proposed requirement would work across different district scheduling models, including six-period and seven-period days, as well as 4x8 structures with 32-credit limits. He raises concerns about how the bill would fit varying school credit systems and whether districts with different configurations would have enough flexibility to implement the requirement. The response later refers back to this same exchange when explaining how the requirement could be incorporated into existing course requirements.
Jeff Wilson — Asked about how financial education addresses generational wealth gaps and the experiences of young people without family wealth.
Jeff Wilson — Invited to speak after asking to say something.
Jeff Wilson — Spoke about learning practical life skills in school, including bank day, home economics, and CTE courses.
Jeff Wilson — Continued remarks about preserving practical education and praised the students' testimony before moving the committee into executive session.
Jeff Wilson — Offered proposed substitute C for Senate Bill 6206.
Jeff Wilson — Offered proposed substitute C for Senate Bill 6206.
Jeff Holy — Jeff Holy is referenced in a brief exchange about whether a requirement must be taught as a standalone item or can be incorporated into other instruction, with follow-up remarks continuing the same line of discussion.
Perry Dozier — Asked about how financial education standards would apply over time and noted the bill's delayed effective date.
Perry Dozier — Offered proposed substitute F for Senate Bill 6247.
Perry Dozier — Offered proposed substitute F for Senate Bill 6247.
Jamie Pedersen — Referenced as having made a point about checks and modern financial habits.
Conrad Kroll — Named as an in-person panel witness to come forward.
Natalie Vega-O'Neil — Named as an in-person panel witness to come forward.
Christy Johnson — Named as an in-person panel witness to come forward.
Christy Johnson — Testified in support of the bill and described multiple roles, including nonprofit chair, parent, business owner, and instructor.
Julio Cortes — Julio Cortes delivered testimony in support of the bill, first responding to committee questions from a teacher’s perspective and explaining that the proposal is meant to fit within existing graduation pathways rather than add a separate requirement. He said teacher preparation programs provide enough training to teach financial literacy standards, argued that students need financial education to make important life decisions, and concluded by emphasizing that the bill is well vetted and does not interfere with the Future Ready process.
Cassie Clayton — Named as a Zoom witness/panel participant.
Cassie Clayton — Cassie Clayton is called on remotely and then testifies for the Northwest Progressive Institute in strong support of Senate Bill 5849.
Keshav Gopinath — Named as a Zoom witness/panel participant.
Alessandra Chavez — Named as a Zoom witness/panel participant.
Sandy Hayes — Named as a Zoom witness/panel participant.
Sandy Hayes — School director for Northshore School District speaking on behalf of the Washington State School Directors Association in opposition to the bill.
Lisa Wellman — Addressed directly regarding teacher preparatory programs and financial literacy preparation.
Lisa Wellman — Addressed as Chair Wellman.
Lisa Wellman — Addressed as Chair Wellman.
Lisa Wellman — Offered proposed substitute B for the surplus technology hardware bill.
Conrad Croll — Conrad Croll, a Bellevue High School student and founder of West Bank Financials, testified in support of financial literacy education. In follow-up questioning, he explained that his interest in financial literacy was primarily self-taught, though encouraged by his parents.
Natalie Vega O'Neill — Testified as CEO of Junior Achievement of Washington in support of SB 5849.
SB5849 — SB 5849 is presented as a proposal to make financial literacy a consistent and equitable part of every student’s education, rather than something dependent on zip code. The bill is described as pairing existing standards with a graduation requirement, flexible pathways, and statewide oversight, with the goal of ensuring every student becomes more financially literate and better prepared for the future.
Keshav Gilberg — Introduced himself as a student witness before continuing testimony in support of the bill.
Keshav Gopinoth — Student at Lake Washington High School who testified in favor of Senate Bill 5849 and described the value of finance courses.
Alesson Chavez — Lake Washington High School senior who testified in support of the bill and described learning about investing and credit from his father.
Sorbiligotir — Named as one of the in-person panelists to come to the desk; likely a student witness.
Jay Tias — Jay Tias is identified as one of the panelists and then introduces himself as the superintendent for Wilburne Quest and Cooperative School Districts, testifying in respectful opposition to the bill.
Eric Sabata — Named as one of the in-person panelists to come to the desk.
Eric Sabata — Eric Sabata, superintendent of the Reardan-Edwall School District, testified that he supports the bill’s concept and thinks it is a good idea, but he is concerned about the cost and opposes it as an unfunded mandate without knowing how it will be funded.
Rajan Parhar — Named as a remote panelist to be brought up next.
Fedora Stephanuk — Named as a remote panelist to be brought up next.
Ben Olson — Named as a remote panelist to be brought up next.
Ben Olson — Student witness from Lake Washington High School testified in support of Senate Bill 5849 and said he regrets not taking finance.
Preston Tucker — Named as one of the students asked to come to the front row for the panel.
Preston Tucker — Student from East Valley High School in Yakima began testimony in support of the bill.
Maddie Branch — Named as one of the students asked to come to the front row for the panel.
Katie Fjore — Named as one of the students asked to come to the front row for the panel.
Diego Garcia — Named as one of the students asked to come to the front row for the panel.