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Law

New Washington Laws Cover College Aid, Guns And Tanning

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This is the week undocumented students in Washington will become eligible for state college tuition aid. The “Real Hope Act” is just one of dozens of new state laws that take effect Thursday, 90 days after the Washington legislature adjourned.

There’s already a website, realhopewa.org, which gives undocumented students information on how to apply for a Washington State Need Grant.

There’s no guarantee of funding, because the program is already over-subscribed. But the Latino students who lobbied for the new law say just winning eligibility to the program is a major victory.

Another new Washington law requires individuals who have a restraining order against them to surrender their firearms. The trigger for this law is if a judge finds the person poses a credible threat to the safety of an intimate partner.

Also beginning this week, kids under age 18 are prohibited from using tanning beds in Washington. The only exception is if a doctor prescribes UV radiation treatment to the youth.

All told, some 200 new laws take effect June 12 in Washington.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.