BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
LOU CORREA, CHAIRMAN
Bill No: SB 813
Author: Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
Version: As Introduced
Hearing Date: April 12, 2011
Fiscal: Yes
Consultant: Donald E. Wilson
SUBJECT OF BILL
Priority enrollment for veterans
PROPOSED LAW
Extend priority registration for veterans from 2 to 4
years.
EXISTING LAW AND BACKGROUND
Declares legislative intent regarding the categories of
priorities for purposes of enrollment planning and
admission at UC and CSU (described below) with one
exception: CSU must admit with junior status any CCC
student meeting the associate degree for transfer
requirements, who will receive priority over other CCC
transfers Education Code §66747 established by SB 1440
(Padilla), Chapter 428, Statutes of 2010.
1. Declares the Legislature's intent regarding the
categories of priority for purposes of undergraduate
resident student enrollment planning and admission at UC
and CSU, in the following order (Education Code § 66201):
a) Continuing undergraduate students in good
standing.
b) CCC students who have successfully
completed a course of study in an approved transfer
agreement program.
c) Other CCC students who have met all
requirements for transfer.
d) Other qualified transfer students.
e) California residents entering at the
freshman or sophomore levels.
2. Declares the Legislature's intent that within each of
the preceding categories, priority consideration for
admission be granted in the following order:
a) California residents who are recently
released veterans of the Armed Forces, with priority within
this group to be given to veterans who were enrolled in
good standing prior to military service.
b) CCC transfers, giving preference to
students from historically underrepresented or economically
disadvantaged families to the fullest extent possible in
transfer admissions decisions.
c) Previously enrolled applicants provided
they left the campus in good standing.
d) Applicants for a degree or credential
objective not generally offered at other public higher
education institutions in California.
e) Applicants for whom the distance to
attend another institution would create financial or other
hardship.
3. Requires UC and CSU maintain a student body comprised
of 60% upper division and 40% lower division students and
declares the Legislature's intent that this goal be reached
and maintained by instituting programs and policies that
increase the number of transfer students, rather than by
denying places to eligible freshmen applicants. (Education
Code § 66201.5)
4. Requires CCC and CSU, and requests UC, to give priority
for registration for enrollment to any member or former
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member of the Armed Services for any academic term attended
at one of these institutions within two years of leaving
active duty, if the institution already administers a
priority enrollment system Education Code § 66025.8,
established by SB 272 (Runner), Chapter 356, Statutes of
2007].
5. SB 272 of 2007 (Runner) gave veterans priority
registration for two years.
COMMENT
1. This bill closely resembles AB 649 (Harkey). This bill
was drafted to allow four years of priority enrollment. AB
649 allows for five.
2. Why four years of priority enrollment? Two years on
paper seems to be sufficient to help a veteran; however, a
veteran does not normally separate from the military and
Friday and begin classes on the subsequent Monday.
E.g. - A veteran separates from service say in February
2011, gets home, looks for job, and applies for acceptance
to a university in April. This year admission is already
closed for the fall semester at some universities. So,
this veteran will not be admitted to school for a year
after separating from the military. One of the two
priority years is already consumed and the veteran is not
even attending school.
3. The definition contained in (b)(1) needs to be amended
for clarity: it refers to the reserve components of the
Armed Forces of the United States of the National Guard and
Naval Militia. The naval militia is not even a Federal
force.
4. As presently written, this bill gives priority to all
veterans. The Assembly Higher Education Committee removed
this language to make sure that specifically California
veterans got priority admission.
5. Do members want to expand the priority registration to
five years as in the Assembly Bill?
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SUPPORT
None received
OPPOSE
None received
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