BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 290
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 30, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   SB 290 (Knight) - As Amended:  August 15, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                             Higher  
          EducationVote:12-0
                       Veterans Affairs                         9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Extends, to a California State University (CSU) undergraduate  
            student, provisions exempting a California Community College  
            (CCC) student--who was a member of the Armed Forces stationed  
            in this state on active duty for more than one year  
            immediately prior to receiving an honorable discharge-from  
            paying nonresident tuition for up to one year while providing  
            the student up to two years following discharge to use this  
            exemption, if the student files an affidavit stating their  
            intent to establish California residency as soon as possible.

          2)Requests the University of California (UC) to also adopt the  
            above policy.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)For every CSU undergraduate student who would take advantage  
            of the above exemption, CSU would lose $11,160 in non-resident  
            tuition revenue. CSU has about 350 veteran students who do not  
            meet residency requires. Assuming 70% of these students are  
            undergraduates, and if only 10% of these undergraduates take  
            advantage of the expanded exemption allowance provided in this  
            bill, the revenue loss to CSU would be $279,000.

          2)Assuming UC adopts a conforming policy, for every UC  
            undergraduate student who would take advantage of the expanded  
            exemption, UC would lose $22,878 in non-resident tuition  
            revenue. In 2011-12, there were only 27 veterans who were  








                                                                  SB 290
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            undergraduates at UC paying non-resident tuition. If 10% of  
            these students were to take advantage of the expanded benefit,  
            the revenue loss to UC would be $69,000.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background and Purpose  . Current law allows a discharged  
            military student to pay resident tuition until the student has  
            stayed in California long enough to establish residency  
            (normally one year).  This non-resident tuition exemption  
            applies to students who were stationed in California for at  
            least one year prior to discharge. For tuition purposes, there  
            may be only one residence; in order to become a California  
            resident the student must relinquish residency in the  
            student's former state of residence.  

            In order to provide veterans time after discharge to return to  
            their home state to settle affairs, AB 2478 (Hayashi)/Chapter  
            405 of 2012 allowed CCC students to utilize the residency  
            tuition benefit within two-years from date of discharge. Under  
            this allowance, students are required to file an affidavit  
            declaring their intention to establish residency as soon as  
            possible. This bill extends this provision to undergraduate  
            students at CSU, and request UC to adopt a conforming policy.

            According to the author, "Currently veterans who have served  
            at least 90 days on active duty are eligible to receive a  
            Government Issued Bill (or GI Bill) to help pay for their  
            college education.  These federal dollars pay up to 100% of  
            in-state tuition costs, in addition to providing a housing  
            allowance and a book allowance to the veteran.  However, many  
            veterans who were stationed at bases in California ? have not  
            had the opportunity to establish residency."

           2)Related Legislation  . AB 13 (Ch�vez and Quirk-Silva), pending  
            on the Senate Appropriations Suspense File, expands the  
            existing non-resident tuition benefits to veterans who were  
            discharged from service outside of California.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081