BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 595
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 595 (Gomez)
          As Amended  September 6, 2013
          Majority vote
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |ASSEMBLY:  |73-6 |(May 16, 2013)  |SENATE: |38-1 |(September 11, |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2013)          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
            
           Original Committee Reference:    HIGHER ED.  

           SUMMARY  :  Requires California Community College (CCC) districts  
          to grant priority registration to students in the Community  
          College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) and to  
          disabled students, as specified.  Sunsets the aforementioned  
          provision on January 1, 2017.  Establishes legislative intent  
          that students who receive priority registration under the  
          provisions of this bill comply with the requirements of the  
          Student Success Act.  Provides that the Commission on State  
          Mandates may determine this provision contains reimbursable  
          state mandated costs.

           The Senate amendments  establish a sunset date of January 1,  
          2017, and establish legislative intent that students who receive  
          priority registration under the provisions of this bill comply  
          with the requirements of the Student Success Act. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  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  
          (University of California, California State University, and  
          CCC), 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.   


          Existing law grants priority enrollment to current or former  
          member of the Armed Forces and foster youth.  In addition, the  








                                                                  AB 595
                                                                  Page  2

          public higher education segments have traditionally provided  
          priority enrollment for students with disabilities, participants  
          in EOPS, and continuing students nearing their education goals.   
          While veterans and foster youth have had statutory priority, the  
          implementing regulations placed these students in the same tier  
          as EOPS and disabled students for the purposes of granting  
          priority enrollment.

          As a result of SB 1143 (Liu), Chapter 409, Statutes of 2010, the  
          CCC Chancellor's Office convened a Student Success Task Force  
          that made 22 recommendations to increase student completion,  
          including better use of priority enrollment.  Regulations  
          adopted to implement this recommendation.  The regulations  
          specify the following priority enrollment tiers:

          Tier 1    Active duty military and veteran students and current  
                    and former foster youth who are new and fully  
                    matriculated or in good standing

          Tier 2    New and continuing fully matriculated EOPS and  
                    Disabled Student Program Services (DSPS) students in  
                    good standing

          Tier 3    Students in good standing and new, fully matriculated  
          students

          Districts would have the flexibility to set priorities and  
          categories for other students.

          According to the author, "Until 2013, participants of EOPS and  
          DSPS, along with veterans and foster youth, shared priority  
          enrollment in community colleges without impacting enrollment  
          access for any of these populations through long standing  
          regulations as these programs were created before the term  
          "priority enrollment" had been established in the Ed code.   
          Existing law now codifies priority enrollment for veterans and  
          foster youth, but needs to be updated to include EOPS and DSPS."


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)  
          319-3960 


                                                               FN: 0002744 









                                                                  AB 595
                                                                  Page  3