BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 620
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          Date of Hearing:   April 13, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 620 (Block) - As Amended:  March 31, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Higher 
          EducationVote:6-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the state's public postsecondary institutions 
          to collect demographic data on, and provide professional 
          development and awareness training regarding, lesbian, gay, 
          bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) faculty, staff, and students. 
          Specifically, this bill:

          1)Requires the governing boards of the California State 
            University (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC), 
            and requests the Regents of the University of California (UC), 
            in collecting demographic data to allow faculty, staff, and 
            students to identify their sexual orientation, gender 
            identify, and gender expression.

          2)Requires the three segments to share information collected in 
            (1), without any individual identifying information, with the 
            California Postsecondary Education Committee (CPEC), if 
            release of the information is so authorized from individuals 
            who have provided the information.

          3)Requires the CSU and CCC governing boards, and requests the UC 
            Regents to:

             a)   Develop and implement professional development and 
               awareness training programs that:

               i)     Train faculty in generating a curriculum inclusive 
                 of all students.
               ii)    Provide strategies for addressing harassment of LGBT 
                 persons.
               iii)   Train campus public safety officers regarding 








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                 harassment and hate crimes directed at LGBT persons.
               iv)    Train financial aid advisors regarding the 
                 availability of scholarships for LGBT persons and 
                 training to assist parents of same-sex parents in 
                 completing financial aid applications.

             b)   Designate at each campus an employee to address the 
               needs of LGBT faculty, staff, and students, and, at a 
               minimum, provide contact information of the designee on the 
               website and in printed and online campus directories.

             c)   Adopt policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying 
               to be included in rules and regulations governing student 
               behavior.

          4)Requires CPEC to:

             a)   Assess the three segments with respect to the quality of 
               life for LGBT persons at their campuses, and make 
               corresponding recommendations to the segments.

             b)   Convene focus groups to address the needs of LGBT 
               students and develop a list of best practices for improving 
               the quality of campus life for LGBT persons.

          5)Adds the attributes of sexual orientation, gender identity, 
            and gender expression to the existing definition of "hate 
            violence" for purposes of reporting incidences of hate 
            violence on campuses, and to existing provisions prohibiting 
            discrimination in the awarding of Cal Grants, in state 
            administration of federal student loan programs, and in the 
            hiring of community college faculty.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

           1)UC  . One-time GF costs of $180,000 to develop training 
            materials and plan the implementation of training. This does 
            not include the cost for staff time to attend the training. 
            Ongoing costs of $50,000 to provide training for all 
            supervisors and for new employees. One-time cost of $30,000 to 
            update database in order to collect expanded demographic data.

           2)CSU  One-time GF development costs of approximately $300,000 to 
            develop the training materials and several million dollars 
            ongoing GF costs to conduct the training sessions systemwide. 








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            Also costs associated with updating databases and for 
            designating a person on each campus to address the needs of 
            LGBT persons.

           3)CCC  . One-time GF costs of $360,000 ($5,000 per district) to 
            modify database. One-time GF cost of $50,000 to develop 
            curriculum and ongoing GF costs of $650,000 for four positions 
            in the Chancellor's Office to provide training systemwide.  
            Reimbursable GF (Prop 98) costs for district staff to attend 
            training sessions and for the campus designee would be in the 
            millions of dollars systemwide.

           4)CPEC  .  One-time GF costs of up to several hundred thousand 
            dollars for the assessment and focus group works.

          COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill includes recommendations from the June 2009 
            CPEC report, "Access and Equity for all Students:  Meeting the 
            Needs of LGBT Students," which outlines policy recommendations 
            supported by research and by individual working in advocacy 
            for LGBT students in higher education.  According to the 
            report, LGBT students face many challenges that require 
            additional campus services and resources for them to be 
            successful in college.  Compared to heterosexual students, 
            LGBT students face higher rates of mental health problems, 
            sexual health risks, substance abuse, and family issues 
            leading to negative health outcomes.  CPEC also identified the 
            lack of data and limitations as a significant issue in serving 
            LGBT students because, without consistent longitudinal data, 
            it is difficult to track and assess LGBT student persistence 
            and degree completion.  

           2)Tight Budget Times  . The 2011-12 budget, as recently passed by 
            the Legislature, includes $500 million in General Fund 
            reductions to both UC and CSU and a $400 million General Fund 
            (Prop 98) reduction to the community college-all partially 
            offset by increased tuition and fees. Moreover, even these 
            reduced funding levels may not be sustainable if additional 
            revenues assumed as part of the budget are not realized. In 
            response to these cuts, the segments all plan to reduce 
            enrollments and course offerings. Give this austere 
            environment, the author may wish to explore ways to minimize 
            the cost impact of this proposal.









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           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081