BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 706
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
Rudy Salas, Chair
AB 706
Bonilla - As Amended April 6, 2015
SUBJECT: California AmeriCorps - STEM
SUMMARY: Establishes the California AmeriCorps Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (Cal AmeriCorps STEM) program
in state government. Specifically, this bill:
1)Creates Cal AmeriCorps STEM to be administered by
CaliforniaVolunteers (Cal Volunteers), an entity in the
Governor's Office established by Executive Order S-24-06.
2)Requires Cal AmeriCorps STEM to operate under the existing
federal AmeriCorps guidelines.
3)Specifies that members of Cal AmeriCorps STEM must be selected
through an application process and establishes eligibility
criteria based on the existing qualifications for AmeriCorps
and all of the following:
a) The applicant must have an associate or a bachelor's
degree;
b) The applicant must provide proof of incurred student
loan debt;
c) The applicant must be 21 years of age or older; and,
d) The applicant must provide proof that he or she lives in
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California.
4)Allows nonprofits or public entities to apply, individually or
in conjunction with corporations or individuals interested in
promoting STEM education, to Cal Volunteers to host Cal
AmeriCorps STEM members through a competitive request for
proposal process.
5)Declares the purpose of Cal AmeriCorps STEM is to bring more
STEM education programs into California schools, after school
programs, and local communities to prepare the next generation
for jobs in STEM fields.
6)Authorizes Cal Volunteers to solicit and accept private
funding from a variety of sources to help supplement the costs
of Cal AmeriCorps STEM.
EXISTING LAW establishes Cal Volunteers in the Governor's Office
to manage programs and initiatives for service and volunteerism.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: AmeriCorps is a national network of hundreds of
programs throughout the U.S. that engage Americans in intensive
service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and
community and faith-based groups across the country. Service
members receive a $7,400 stipend and are eligible for an
education award that can be used to pay for college or pay back
student loans. Several factors, including citizenship, age,
work experience, and education, are considered when qualifying
for a position with AmeriCorps. Additional eligibility
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requirements vary depending on the particular program.
California receives federal financial support for its AmeriCorps
program through Cal Volunteers. Cal Volunteers was established
with the specific mission to recruit and mobilize citizens for
volunteer service by identifying service opportunities
throughout the state. This bill tasks Cal Volunteers with
administering Cal AmeriCorps STEM.
According to the author, only one of the many environmental,
educational, mentoring, and social support programs currently
administered and funded by Cal Volunteers has a STEM focus. The
author points out that there is a tremendous need for expanding
STEM-specific programming in California in response to data
showing that the state's eighth graders are below the national
average in science and math test scores. The author states this
bill is intended to facilitate early engagement in STEM-related
projects to better prepare college students for careers in STEM
fields that are vital to the state's economy.
PRIOR LEGISLATION: AB 2328 (John A. Pérez) of 2014 would have
created the Cal AmeriCorps program administered by Cal
Volunteers without the STEM focus and enabled local governments
to compete to host service members. AB 2328 was vetoed by the
Governor with the following message: "While the bill is well
intentioned, California already has programs, such as the
California Conservation Corps and the California Volunteers
Service Enterprise Initiative, that couple volunteer service
with educational scholarships. I encourage the Legislature to
work through these programs to strengthen partnerships between
volunteers and local governments."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
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Support
Bay Area Community Resources
Bayer
California Primary Care Association
California Science Teachers Association
California Workforce Association
Exploratorium
Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education
Maker Education Initiative
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Cassie Royce / A. & A.R. / (916) 319-3600
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