BILL NUMBER: SB 1680	CHAPTERED  07/15/08

	CHAPTER  123
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JULY 15, 2008
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  JULY 15, 2008
	PASSED THE SENATE  MAY 15, 2008
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  JUNE 26, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 12, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 23, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 10, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 25, 2008

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Wyland
   (Coauthors: Senators Correa, Denham, Negrete McLeod, and Wiggins)


                        FEBRUARY 22, 2008

   An act to add Article 14 (commencing with Section 69785) to
Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
relating to public postsecondary education.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1680, Wyland. Student financial aid: Military and Veterans
Office.
   Under existing law, the segments of the public higher education
system in the state include the University of California, which is
administered by the Regents of the University of California, the
California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of
the California State University, and the California Community
Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges.
   This bill would authorize the California Community Colleges and
California State University, and request the University of
California, to coordinate services for qualified students who are
veterans or members of the military by clearly designating Military
and Veterans Offices and individuals to provide specified services.
   The bill would authorize the California Community Colleges and the
California State University, and would encourage the University of
California, to report to the Department of Veterans Affairs, on an
annual basis, specified information relating to Military and Veterans
Offices.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Article 14 (commencing with Section 69785) is added to
Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
to read:

      Article 14.  Military and Veterans Office


   69785.  (a) The California Community Colleges and the California
State University may, and the University of California is encouraged
to, coordinate services for qualified students who are veterans or
members of the military by clearly designating Military and Veterans
Offices and individuals to provide services, including, but not
limited to, all of the following:
   (1) Financial aid counseling.
   (2) Academic outreach, admission, and enrollment planning.
   (3) Transition concerns.
   (4) Postgraduate planning.
   (5) Health and mental health services.
   (6) Provide tutoring and other learning support services.
   (7) Provide career counseling.
   (b) The purpose of these Military and Veterans Offices shall be to
encourage and facilitate the use of the services listed in
paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (a) and to assist a
qualified student in determining that student's eligibility for state
or federal educational financial aid.
   (c) For purposes of this article, "qualified student" means a
student who is any of the following:
   (1) An active duty member of any of the following:
   (A) The Armed Forces of the United States.
   (B) The California National Guard.
   (C) A reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States.
   (2) A veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States.
   (3) A family member of a person described in paragraph (1) or (2).
For the purposes of this paragraph, "family member" means an
individual who is a legal dependent under 28 years of age of a person
described in paragraph (1) or (2) living in the household of that
person and eligible to be claimed as a dependent on federal or state
tax returns.
   69786.  The California Community Colleges and the California State
University may, and the University of California is encouraged to,
report to the Department of Veterans Affairs, on an annual basis, all
of the following information:
   (a) The number of qualified students assisted by a Military and
Veterans Office.
   (b) The number of qualified students assisted who are active duty
members of the Armed Forces of the United States, the California
National Guard, or a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the
United States, or are veterans of the Armed Forces of the United
States.
   (c) The total education benefits obtained by all qualified
students assisted by an office.