BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 882 (Cook)
Hearing Date: 8/25/2011 Amended: 6/30/2011
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz Policy Vote: VA: 7-0
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 882 conforms to federal law granting a member
of the Armed Forces, or his or her dependent, entitlement to
resident classification for so long as he or she is continuously
enrolled at that institution. Additionally, AB 882 requires the
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Employment Development
Department to enter agreements with up to four counties that
elect to participate in the newly created County Veterans
Service Center Pilot Program.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
In-state tuition
----------------likely minor--------------
General
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
Committee amendments delete the County Veterans Service Center
pilot program.
According to the California State University, the California
Community Colleges, and the University of California, all
systems are already adhering to federal law regarding in-state
tuition for members of the Armed Forces and their dependents,
consequently, there will not be any new costs associated with
the implementation of this bill. As far as implementation of
the County Veterans Service Center Pilot Program, both the
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Employment
Development Department (EDD) indicate that administrative and
facility costs are unknown, but could be significant. For
instance, EDD expresses that costs could be significant if staff
had to be relocated to the counties where the pilot program
AB 882 (Cook)
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initiated.
Existing law entitles the following individuals to resident
status for the purpose of determining tuition and fees at the
California Community Colleges, the University of California, and
the California State University system:
a) An undergraduate who is a dependent of a member of the Armed
Forces stationed in California on active duty.
b) A graduate student who is a dependent of a member of the
Armed Forces for no more than one academic year, after which he
or she is subject to the general provisions otherwise
establishing student residency requirements.
c) A member of the Armed Forces who is stationed in California
on active duty, however, a member of the Armed Forces seeking a
graduate degree is entitled to resident classification for no
more than 2 academic years.
Existing law also allows a dependent of a member of the Armed
Forces to keep his or her resident classification until he or
she has resided in the state for the minimum time necessary to
become a resident in the event the member of the Armed Forces is
transferred outside of the state or retires from active duty.
Existing federal law prohibits a state receiving federal
assistance under the Higher Education Opportunity Act from
charging a higher rate for attendance at a public institution of
higher education than is charged to residents of the state to a
member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty for more than
30 days and whose domicile or permanent duty station is in the
state, or to his or her spouse or dependent child. Federal law
also requires this rate to remain in effect for as long as the
individual is continuously enrolled at the institution, even if
the member of the Armed Forces is relocated outside of
California.
AB 882 will conform to federal law by granting a member of the
Armed Forces, or his or her dependent, entitlement to resident
classification for so long as he or she is continuously enrolled
at that institution.
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The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides for
workforce investment activities, some of which states can
participate in. The California Workforce Investment Act
requires each local workforce investment board to establish at
least one full service one-stop career center in the local
workforce investment area and to provide specified job placement
services. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Employment
Development Department are currently authorized to enter into
interagency agreements with counties that elect to participate
in a workforce program.
AB 882 establishes the County Veterans Service Center Pilot
Program and requires the DVA and the EDD to enter into
agreements with no more than 4 counties that elect to
participate in that program no later than January 1, 2013. The
pilot will be created to provide a mechanism to facilitate the
delivery of complete, efficient information and other services
to veterans in a convenient setting. It is intended to improve
the state's delivery of services and benefits to veterans and to
aid veterans in obtaining services and benefits to which
veterans are entitled. The program must not conflict with any
one-stop service program provided under federal guidelines.
AB 882 requires the veteran service center to be staffed with
persons knowledgeable in employment and veterans benefits issues
including, but not limited to, workforce development, job
training, educational benefits, compensation and pension
benefits, and low-interest financing offered through the CalVet
Home Loan Program. The center must contain all necessary
resources, information, forms and other materials necessary for
a veteran to receive full employment assistance and a complete
assessment of veterans benefits to which he or she is entitled.
The County Veterans Service Center Pilot Program will sunset
January 1, 2016.
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