BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 813
Author: Committee on Veterans Affairs
Amended: 5/3/11
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/12/11
AYES: Correa, Cannella, Berryhill, Calderon, Negrete
McLeod, Rubio, Runner, Lieu
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 10-0, 4/27/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock,
Huff, Liu, Price, Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-0, 5/16/11
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley, Price,
Runner, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters
SUBJECT : Public postsecondary education: veterans''
enrollment
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill extends priority registration
enrollment for veterans at the California State University
(CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC), from 2
to 5 years.
ANALYSIS :
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Existing law
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Declares the Legislature's intent that within each of
the preceding
categories, priority consideration for admission be
granted in the
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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.
4. 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)
5. Requires CCC and CSU, and requests UC, to give priority
for registration
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for enrollment to any member or former 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 (Runner), 2007-08 Session, gave veterans
priority registration
for two years.
This bill:
1. Extends the period of time, from two years to five
years, that a former
member of the Armed Forces of the United States can
receive priority
registration enrollment at the California State
University (CSU) and the
California Community Colleges (CCC).
2. Requests that the University of California comply with
priority enrollment
as specified in this measure.
3. Requires reimbursement to local agencies and school
districts to be made
if the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains
costs mandated by the state.
Comments
Need for the bill
According to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, even
though existing law permits an honorably discharged veteran
a two-year timeframe to exercise priority enrollment, the
two-year timeframe does not coincide with the various
enrollment and admission processes that are currently being
utilized at the public postsecondary education
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institutions.
For example, a veteran separates from service in February,
gets home, looks for employment following their discharge
from service, but subsequently wishes to attend college,
and applies to a university or college. However, given the
state of public higher education funding, many campuses
have closed enrollment sooner and are offering less courses
than in recent history. Therefore this veteran may have
lost almost all of the two years of priority enrollment.
Related legislation
AB 649 (Harkey) , passed the Assembly with a vote of 73-0 on
5/2/11. This bill allows for five years of priority
enrollment.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
2013-14 Fund
Extend CCC Possibly significant reimbursable mandate
General
priority registration
Extend CSU Likely minor and absorbable
General
priority registration
RM:rm 5/17/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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