AB 606, as amended, Williams. Student financial aid: community colleges.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.
Existing law requires the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop a statement that individual students will be asked to sign, which acknowledges that federal and state funds are available to assist with the costs of college and that information regarding these programs, and assistance in applying for those funds, can be obtained at the financial aid office.
This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor, until January 1, 2017, to establish a voluntary pilot program, with specified requirements, to increase student participation in state and federal financial aid programs and in the federal American Opportunity Tax Credit. The bill would require the Office of the Chancellor to provide specified information on the pilot program to the Legislative Analyst’s Office by January 10, 2016, which the Legislative Analyst’s Office would be required to use to report to the Legislature on the results of the pilot program and to make recommendations for statewide expansion of the pilot program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 76072 is added to the Education Code, 2immediately following Section 76071, to read:
(a) The Office of the Chancellor of the California
4Community Colleges shall establish a voluntary pilot program to
5increase student participation in state and federal financial aid
6programs. The chancellor shall select no more than 10 community
7college campuses to participate in the pilot program from campuses
8that volunteer to participate in thebegin insert pilotend insert program. In selecting
9campuses for the pilot program, the chancellor, to the extent
10possible, shall ensure geographic, economic, and demographic
11diversity.
12(b) The pilot program shall identify both of the following target
13populations
to participate in the pilot program:
14(1) Students potentially eligible for financial aid who complete
15an application for a fee waiver provided pursuant to Section 76300,
16but who do not complete a Free Application for Federal Student
17Aid (FAFSA).
18(2) Students potentially eligible for financial aid who do not
19receive any campus, state, or federal financial aid.
20(c) The goal of the pilot program shall be to increase student
21participation in both state and federal financial aid programs by
22performing actions including, but not necessarily limited to, all of
23the following:
24(1) Identifying strategies and best practices for increasing the
25number of students who
submit the FAFSA.
P3 1(2) Examining and developing strategies for increasing student
2participation in state and federal financial aid programs beyond
3the waiver of fees pursuant to Section 76300.
4(3) Identifying the extent to which students claim the federal
5American Opportunity Tax Credit (26 U.S.C. Sec. 25A (i)) and
6developing strategies for increasing the number of students who
7claim the credit.
8(d) The Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
9Colleges is encouraged to pursue both private and federal funding
10to support implementation and operation of the pilot program.
11(e) Once a pilot program has been established pursuant to
12subdivision (a), the
Office of the Chancellor shall provide the
13following information to the Legislative Analyst’s Office on or
14before January 10, 2016:
15(1) Strategies and techniques that the participating community
16college campuses employed in administering the pilot program.
17(2) Data on student participation in state and federal financial
18aid programs, and to the extent possible, the American Opportunity
19Tax Credit ( 26 U.S.C. Sec. 25A (i)).
20(f) Based on the information received pursuant to subdivision
21(e), the Legislative Analyst’s Office shall report to the Legislature
22on the results of the pilot program and make recommendations for
23statewide expansion of the pilot program. The report shall include
24all of the following:
25(1) A statistical analysis of financial aid applications and awards
26before and after implementation of the pilot program.
27(2) A summary of the major strategies and techniques employed
28by the participating community college campuses in administering
29the pilot program.
30(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2017,
31and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
32is enacted before January 1, 2017, deletes or extends that date.
O
97