BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 13
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          Date of Hearing:   April 16, 2013

                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
                                Al Muratsuchi, Chair
                     AB 13 (Chávez) - As Amended:  March 11, 2013
           
          SUBJECT  :   Nonresident tuition exemption: veterans

           SUMMARY  :   This bill enables more veterans to pay resident  
          tuition rates at California colleges.  Specifically,  this bill  :   


          1)Deletes the requirement that the student have been stationed  
            in California for a year prior to being discharged.

          1)Substitutes for that requirement that the student must have  
            been discharged or released from active duty within the  
            immediately prior year.

          2)Applies to California Community Colleges (CCC) and California  
            State Universities (CSU).

           EXISTING LAW  : Establishes uniform residency requirements for  
          purposes of ascertaining the amount of fees to be paid by  
          students at CSU and CCC and establishes various exceptions to  
          these residency requirements, including many for current and  
          former members of the Armed Forces (Education Code § 68074 and  
          68075). The University of California (UC), as a result of its  
          constitutional autonomy, establishes its tuition policies;  
          however, these policies traditionally mirror state policies.

          Current law establishes the requirements for determining  
          residency for purposes of paying the lower-cost "in-state"  
          student fees at UC, CSU, and CCC. To qualify for the lower  
          resident fees, students are generally required to have resided  
          in California for more than one year immediately preceding the  
          residence determination date and undertake other specified  
          actions such as registering to vote or registering one's car in  
          California.

           FISCAL EFFECT  : Unknown at this time.

           COMMENTS  :   

          The bill makes it easier for those veteran students who wish to  








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          move immediately to California to go to school after leaving the  
          military. The difference between the resident and non-resident  
          tuition rates is significant:

          Resident                      Non-resident

          UC: $12,192 per year          $35,070 per year                    
                     
          CSU: $5,472 per year          $16,612 per year                    
                         
          CCC: $46 per unit             $208 per unit

          The Post 9/11 GI Bill will pay only the resident tuition amount.  
          Thus a student who was not stationed in California for the year  
          immediately prior to discharge who wishes to begin school right  
          away must either move here and wait a year to begin school to  
          obtain the non-resident rate or move here and pay the difference  
          between the non-resident rate and the resident rate. It seems  
          unlikely that students will choose the latter. Most GI Bill  
          students enter the California higher education at the community  
          college level. The cost for a non-resident community college  
          student is four and a half times higher than for a resident  
          student.

           Federal legislation  .  Federal legislation has been introduced in  
          both the House and the Senate to require institutions that are  
          eligible for Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to charge any veteran  
          the resident tuition rate.   

          Related legislation  .  AB 368 (Morell) is substantially similar  
          to this bill and a potential conflict exists.  SB 290 (Knight),  
          pending in the Senate, is very similar to this bill.  AB 2250  
          (Beth Gaines) of 2012, which died in the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, was substantially similar to this bill.  AB 2478  
          (Hayashi), Chapter 405, Statutes of 2012, allowed a student  
          veteran to establish residency within two years, rather than one  
          year, of discharge.  Several similar bills have been introduced  
          annually since 2006, and all were held in the Appropriations  
          committees.   

          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,  








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          AFL-CIO
          American Legion-Department of California
          AMVETS-Department of California
          California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
          California Community College, Chancellor's Office
          California State Commanders Veterans Council
          Kern Community College District
          Legion of Valor of the United States of America, Inc.
          MiraCosta Community College District
          San Diego Community College District
          VFW-Department of California
          Vietnam Veterans of America-California State Council
          1 Individual
          Marine Corps Installations West

           Opposition 
           
          None on file.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    John Spangler / V. A. / (916) 319-3550