BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2000 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 7, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 2000 (Gomez) - As Amended: April 24, 2014 Policy Committee: Higher EducationVote:10-1 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill allows an otherwise eligible student to qualify for resident tuition, pursuant to AB 540, and state financial aid, pursuant to AB 131 (Dream Act), if the student has attained credits in California equal to three or more years of full-time high school coursework. (Current law requires the student to have attended a California high school for at least three years.) FISCAL EFFECT The number of students impacted by this bill is unknown. In the LAUSD, five students who could have benefited from this bill graduated in 2012-12 after attending less than three years of high school. Extrapolating statewide yields a total of around 70 students. The fiscal impact would depend on the institutions that these students would attend. If attendance were to be 15 at community colleges, 30 at CSU, 15 at UC, and 10 at nonpublic institutions: 1)Revenue losses to the segments in the first year would be minor at community colleges, $335,000 at CSU, and $340,000 at UC. These costs would increase approximately fourfold over the following three years as additional eligible high school graduates enter college. This assumes that, absent this bill, these students would still attend these institutions and pay the much higher nonresident tuition, which in many cases would be unlikely. 2)Cal Grant (General Fund) costs in the first year would be about $450,000 in the first year increase to around $2 million AB 2000 Page 2 in the fourth year. 3)Institutional aid in the first year is estimated to be about $150,000 at UC and $126,000 at CSU, increasing fourfold over the next three years. COMMENTS Purpose . According to the author, current law does not consider individuals who finish high school early, and would otherwise be eligible for AB 540 or Dream Act benefits. The author notes that in California, high school students can participate in accelerated learning programs in order to graduate early. Students that accelerate their learning, such as through concurrent community college enrollment to obtain high school credits, and graduate ahead of completing the three-year high school attendance requirement have been denied AB 540 status. The bill is intended to ensure that students are not forced to forego or delay their life goals due to the strict three-year attendance requirement. Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081