BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 393
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Jacqui Irwin, Chair
AB 393
(Roger Hernández) - As Amended March 23, 2015
SUBJECT: Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program
SUMMARY: Establishes the Veteran Resource Centers Grant (VRCG)
Program and the VRCG Fund housed in the State Treasury.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Creates the VRCG Program and Fund.
2)States the Legislature finds and declares all of the
following: a) more than 60,000 veterans and active duty
service members enrolled at campuses of the California
Community Colleges (CCC) in the 2013-14 academic year; b)
education is a tool for community college students to achieve
economic success; c) veterans face unique challenges in
achieving professional success, including posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and assimilation to civilian life during and
after serving on active duty; and, the intent of the VRCG
Program is to help veterans and active duty service members
enrolled at campuses of the CCC achieve academic and
professional success.
3)Specifies the VRCG Fund is established in the State Treasury;
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and, that monies in the Fund, upon appropriation by the
Legislature in the annual Budget Act, shall be allocated to
the CCC Chancellor for the implementation and administration
of the VRCG Program.
4)Authorizes a governing board of a community college district
(CCD) and a CCC campus at which a veterans resource center has
been or is intended to be established to jointly apply to the
CCC Chancellor for a grant for purposes of providing resources
to the veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces of
the United States enrolled at the campus to help them succeed
academically.
5)Specifies that the CCC Chancellor shall do all of the
following:
a) Administer the VRCG Program and distribute awards to
recipient CCDs and CCCs; and,
b) Develop application criteria, administrative guidelines,
and other requirements, by May 26, 2016, through a
stakeholder process and public meetings, for purposes of
administering the program. Specifies that said
requirements may include the CCC Chancellor awarding
funding priority to CCD and campus applicants that commit
to contributing an amount of funds in addition to the grant
to develop, enhance, or maintain a veteran resource center
at a CCC campus.
6)Requires the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) to submit a progress
report of the VRCG Program to the Legislature on or before May
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31, 2018.
7)Specifies that the reporting requirements, as specified, will
become inoperative on June 1, 2022; and, shall comply with
current law reporting requirements.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the California Community Colleges under the
administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges.
2)Requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive
officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS:
According to the author:
Based on our research, current law is silent regarding VRCs
[Veterans Resource Centers]. The recent proliferation of VRCs
is largely based on philanthropic efforts by public and
private donors. AB 393 demonstrates a commitment by the state
to advance the creation and maintenance of VRCs to provide
veterans with necessary academic tools to succeed.
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Veterans have been trained to fight and win the Nation's wars.
Their warrior training, culture, or experiences may pose
challenges for them later integrating smoothly and rapidly into
a non-military academic environment. These students volunteered
to each shoulder a portion of the burden of defense of the
Nation; when they are no longer performing that duty, from which
all Americans benefit, it has been the consistent policy of this
state to recognize that service and sacrifice to the maximum
extent feasible.
This bill would create a grant program. This type of program
offers maximum responsivity to the variety of needs the schools
may have (some may have nothing yet and some an established
program). The grant structure may also allow the Chancellor's
Office to create targeted initiatives and to introduce elements
of competition and innovation among schools serving veterans
students.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
AMVETS, Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
Community College League of California
Military Officers Association of America, California Council of
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Chapters
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
Opposition
None on File.
Analysis Prepared by:John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550