BILL NUMBER:  AB 573
  VETOED	DATE: 10/08/2015




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

Assembly Bill 573 would extend Cal Grant eligibility for former
students of Heald College and create a grant program within the
Attorney General's office to fund nonprofit organizations providing
free legal services to former students of Corinthian Colleges.

I am sympathetic to the many students who were enrolled at Corinthian
Colleges when the company abruptly shuttered its doors earlier this
year. I signed SB 150, which prevents students whose loans have been
discharged from being penalized a second time with a significant tax
bill on the value of the loan discharge, which they can ill afford to
pay.

The U.S. Department of Education has taken the matter of loan
discharge seriously. In recent months, it has greatly eased the
burden of filings for many students, and its work to provide a
simple, swift and fair process for students continues. As such, it
appears premature to create an attorney grant program, especially one
that provides little direction on how funds should be used.

While the bill's provisions to extend Cal Grant eligibility for Heald
students are well-intentioned, I am not comfortable creating new
General Fund costs outside of the budget process, particularly given
the Cal Grant augmentations already included in this year's budget.
For these reasons, I am returning this bill without my signature.

Sincerely,



Edmund G. Brown Jr.