BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                                        
                         SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                             Alan Lowenthal, Chair
                           2011-2012 Regular Session
                                        

          BILL NO:       AB 2133
          AUTHOR:        Blumenfield
          AMENDED:       June 19, 2012
          FISCAL COMM:   Yes            HEARING DATE:  June 27, 2012
          URGENCY:       No             CONSULTANT:Daniel Alvarez

           SUBJECT  :  Veterans: priority registration.
          
           SUMMARY  

          This bill extends the period of time, from 4 years to 15 
          years, that a former member of the Armed Forces of the 
          United States, as defined, can receive priority 
          registration enrollment at the California State University 
          (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC). The bill 
          requests that the University of California comply with 
          priority enrollment as specified in this measure.

           BACKGROUND  

          Current law:

          Requires CSU and CCC, and requests UC, to grant priority 
          registration for enrollment to a member or former member of 
          the Armed Forces, as defined, who is a resident of 
          California and who has received an honorable discharge, a 
          general discharge, or an other than honorable discharge for 
          any academic term within four years of leaving state or 
          federal active duty, provided the campus administers 
          priority enrollment.  (Education Code § 66025.8)

          Requires that the community colleges make available a 
          variety of "matriculation services" to students in order to 
          ensure that students receive educational services necessary 
          to optimize their opportunities for success.  Matriculation 
          requirements are only operative if funds are specifically 
          appropriated for these purposes.  (EC § 78210-78219)

           ANALYSIS
           
          This bill extends the period of time, from 4 years to 15 







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          years, that a former member of the Armed Forces of the 
          United States, as defined, can receive priority 
          registration enrollment at the California State University 
          (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC). The bill 
          requests that the University of California comply with 
          priority enrollment as specified in this measure.  In 
          addition, this bill:


          1)   Requires veterans who are students at the CCC, in 
               order to receive priority for registration, to meet 
               existing matriculation requirements, i.e. declaring a 
               specific educational objective within a reasonable 
               period of time.

          2)   Requires that priority registration provided pursuant 
               to this measure shall apply to enrollment for all 
               degree and certificate programs offered by the 
               institution after the military or veteran status of 
               the student has been verified by the institution he or 
               she attends.

           STAFF COMMENTS  

           1)   Need for the bill.   According to the author, there is 
               limited flexibility to veterans who need additional 
               time given the rigidity of the current four-year 
               timeline for preferred enrollment which begins at the 
               date of honorable discharge.  
          This is a problem because today's young veterans 
               disproportionately face challenges that can delay 
               their pursuit of higher education due to injuries, 
               trauma, and life circumstances. In addition, there is 
               no conformity with the 15-year timeline veterans can 
               draw down federal education benefits paid under the 
               Post 9/11 GI Bill. 

           2)   Length of time to access and maximum time limit for 
               benefits  . According to the US Department of Veteran 
               Affairs, the Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefit 
               program generally pays a total of 36 months of 
               benefits for up to 15 years following active duty. 
               This is generally the high-end of time to receive and 
               activate earned benefits. 







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           3)   Value of priority registration enrollment  .  Priority 
               registration enrollment decisions are made at the 
               campus level at each segment.  This process allows 
               specified students access to classes ahead of the 
               general student population.  As state support for 
               higher education has decreased while enrollments have 
               increased at the three segments, classes have become 
               increasingly impacted-unable to accommodate all 
               students who enroll in the course.  Thus, students who 
               have priority registration enrollment status have a 
               significant advantage over other students, 
               particularly at CCC.  In general, the systems provide 
               priority enrollment for students with disabilities, 
               participants in Educational Opportunity Program 
               Students, and continuing students nearing their 
               education goals.

           4)   Further complicating matters, perpetual Budget 
               shortfalls.   The 2011 Budget proposes funding 
               reductions of $500 million to both UC and CSU.  Both 
               systems are over-enrolled (they serve more students 
               than the State funds them to educate) and may need to 
               reduce the number of students they admit in order to 
               absorb the reductions in their State budgets.  The 
               Governor's budget proposes a $400 million budget 
               reduction to CCC, which translates into fewer course 
               offerings since CCC has no admission 

               requirements.  Thus, admission to UC and CSU will 
               become increasingly competitive as they reduce their 
               enrollments, and competition for class offerings at 
               CSU and CCC, in particular, will continue to increase 
               as fewer courses are offered as a result of budget 
               cuts.

           5)   Compelling argument can be made  that a veteran student 
               may need some time, perhaps even years, before 
               deciding to use their GI bill educational benefits and 
               go to college and that state statute should somehow 
               recognize this. However, staff could not find any 
               information on the "average" time that a veteran may 
               access their benefits.  The GI Educational benefit 
               programs recognize that a veteran's pursuit of higher 







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               education can be delayed due to injuries, trauma, and 
               life circumstances and therefore give a longer period 
               of time in which the veteran may use his or her 
               benefit.  This measure would provide a veteran 15 
               years of continuous priority registration enrollment 
               once discharged from military service, well in excess 
               of the 36 months (3 years) of educational benefits the 
               federal government provides that can be used over a 15 
               year period of time after discharge.  Last year, this 
               committee acknowledged the necessity of providing 
               additional time for veterans to access priority 
               registration by extending the period for such a 
               benefit from 2 years to 4 years. 
                
                Staff, therefore, recommends amendments that provide 
               veterans four years of priority registration 
               enrollment, but authorizes the use of the priority 
               registration enrollment within a 15-year window 
               starting from the time of discharge.  

           6)   Measure is keyed with a possible mandate  .  Legislative 
               Counsel has determined by requiring community college 
               districts to provide priority registration for 
               enrollment for additional years, the bill would impose 
               a state-mandated local program.

           7)   Related legislation  .  

               AB 2462 (Block) requires the Chancellor of the 
               California Community Colleges (CCC) to implement a 
               process for awarding credit for prior military 
               academic experience that meets the pertinent standards 
               of the American Council on Education (ACE), as 
               specified.

               AB 2478 (Hayashi) extends resident classification for 
               two years to California Community College students who 
               were stationed in California on active duty for more 
               than one year immediately prior to being discharged.  
               This bill will be heard in this committee on June 27, 
               2012.

               Chapter 375, Statutes of 2011 (SB 813, Senate 
               Committee on Veterans Affairs), extended priority 







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               enrollment for veterans from two to four years. 
                  
               Chapter 356, Statutes of 2007 (SB 272, Runner), 
               established priority registration for two years for 
               members of the military.  
           SUPPORT  

          California Community Colleges, Chancellor's Office
          Coast Community College District
          Community College League of California
          National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter
          North Orange County Community College District
          Orange County Community Colleges Legislative Task Force
          Rancho Santiago Community College District
          South Orange County Community College 

           OPPOSITION

           None on file.