BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 801
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Kansen Chu, Chair
AB 801
(Bloom) - As Introduced February 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Postsecondary education: Success for Homeless Youth
in Higher Education Act
SUMMARY: Establishes the Success for Homeless Youth in Higher
Education Act to increase access to postsecondary education for
homeless youth.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Adds homeless youth and former homeless youth, as defined, to
current requirements for California State University (CSU) and
California Community College districts (CCDs), and current
requests of the University of California (UC), to grant
priority to foster youth and former foster youth for
registration for enrollment.
2)Defines "homeless" per the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act, as specified.
3)Defines "homeless youth" to mean a person 24 years old or
younger who has been determined to be homeless at any time
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during the current calendar year by specified individuals.
4)Defines "former homeless youth" to mean a person 24 years old
or younger who, while not currently homeless, has been
determined to be homeless at any time in the preceding six
years by specified individuals.
5)Repeals the provision requiring the priority enrollment of
homeless youth and former homeless youth on January 1, 2020.
Further, extends the sunset date of the current law pertaining
to priority enrollment for foster youth and former foster
youth from January 1, 2017, to January 1, 2020.
6)Requires a qualifying postsecondary educational institution,
as defined, and requests the UC Regents, to adopt policies, if
feasible, to:
a) Designate a Homeless and Foster Student Liaison with
required responsibilities within its financial aid office,
as specified; and
b) Inform current and prospective students about financial
aid and other available assistance, as specified, for
current and former homeless youth and current and former
foster youth.
1)States that a student who currently resides in California and
is not over the age of 19 at the time of enrollment may be
entitled to a resident classification until residency is
established if he or she is determined at any time in the two
years immediately preceding the residency classification to
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have been homeless, as defined.
2)Expands the scope of the Community College Student Financial
Aid Outreach Program to include training that addresses the
specific needs of homeless youth and former homeless youth, as
defined.
3)Adds pupils who are homeless youth or former homeless youth,
as defined, to permissible uses of funds apportioned by the
Student Aid Commission to support projects to increase the
accessibility of postsecondary education for certain
elementary and secondary school pupils, as specified.
4)Extends California Community College fee waivers to students
who are homeless youth, or former homeless youth, at the time
of enrollment and who meet specified minimum academic and
progress standards.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes in federal law the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 to ensure
educational rights and protections for youth experiencing
homelessness. (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.)
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2)Defines in federal law "homeless children and youth" to mean
individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime
residence, as specified, including children and youth who are:
a) Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or similar reason;
b) Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping
grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate
accommodations;
c) Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
d) Abandoned in hospitals;
e) Awaiting foster care placement;
f) Inhabiting a primary nighttime residence that is a
public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used
as a regular sleeping accommodation, as specified;
g) Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned
buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or
similar settings; and
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h) Migratory, as defined, and who otherwise qualify as
homeless per this definition.
(42 U.S.C. 11434(a)(2))
3)Requires each CSU and CCD, and requests the UC, with respect
to each campus that administers a priority enrollment system
to grant priority in that system to current or former members
of the military, and foster youth and former foster youth, as
specified. Repeals this requirement as it relates to foster
youth and former foster youth on January 1, 2017. (EDC
66025.8 and 66025.9)
4)Establishes the Community College Student Financial Aid
Outreach Program and requires the Student Aid Commission to
develop and administer this program for the purpose of
providing financial aid training to high school and community
college counselors and advisors, as specified. Further
requires the program to:
a) Include training to address the specific needs of
community college students intending to transfer to a
four-year institution of higher education, foster youth,
and students with disabilities;
b) Provide specialized information on financial aid
opportunities available to community college students, as
specified; and
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c) Concentrate its efforts on high schools and community
colleges that are located in geographic areas with a high
percentage of low-income families. (EDC 69514.5)
5)Permits the Student Aid Commission to, via the Student
Opportunity and Access Program, apportion funds on a progress
payment schedule for the support of projects designed to
increase the accessibility of postsecondary educational
opportunities for any elementary and secondary school pupils
who are: from low-income families, will be the first in their
families to attend college, or are from schools or geographic
regions with documented low eligibility or college
participation rates. (EDC 69561)
6)Requires the governing board of each CCD to charge each
student a fee of $46 per unit per semester, as specified, and
further requires this fee to be waived for certain students
who both meet minimum academic and progress standards and who
meet other criteria, as specified. (EDC 76300)
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Homeless children and youth: The federal McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 defines homeless children and
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youths as individuals who "lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence," to include children and youths who: have
to share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic
hardship; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp
grounds because they lack other accommodations; are living in
emergency or transitional shelters; are awaiting foster
placement; or have a primary nighttime residence that is not
designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
Over 520,000 children in the state were estimated to be homeless
in 2012-13, prompting the National Center on Family Homelessness
at American Institutes for Research to rank California the 48th
worst in the nation with regard to the extent of child
homelessness (adjusted for state population). According to the
author, in the 2012-13 school year, there were 18,000 homeless
students in the 12th grade, yet only 10,208 college students in
total indicated a status of being homeless and unaccompanied.
Supports for college students: A number of programs and
provisions exist to help various populations of students, and
potential students, who may face multiple barriers to achieving
a post-secondary education gain access to that education. These
programs include, but are not limited to:
a)Priority enrollment allowing certain students to register for
classes prior to the general student body: each CSU and CCD
that administers a priority enrollment system must grant
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priority to current or former members of the military, as well
as foster youth and former foster youth. UC campuses are
encouraged to do likewise. Additionally, each CCD campus that
administers a priority enrollment system must also grant
priority to CalWORKs recipients and to students in the
Community College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services
program, which serves to further the enrollment, retention and
transfer of students facing barriers created by language,
social, economic, and educational disadvantages;
b)Community College Student Financial Aid Outreach Program:
this program provides financial aid training to high school
and community college counselors and advisors, and includes
training to address the specific needs of certain populations
of students, including but not limited to foster youth and
students with disabilities;
c)Student Opportunity and Access Program: this program supports
projects throughout the state that are designed to increase
the accessibility of postsecondary education for students who
are from low-income families, will be the first in their
families to attend college, or are from schools or areas where
with significant rates of low college eligibility and
participation; and
d)Community college fee waivers: current tuition at California
Community Colleges for state residents is $46 per unit. This
fee is waived for certain students who are meeting minimum
academic and progress standards and who meet other criteria,
including but not limited to those who meet income eligibility
requirements, demonstrate financial need, or receive benefits
from the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental
Payment (SSI/SSP) program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy
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Families (TANF) program, or a general assistance program.
Need for this bill: Obtaining a college education can have
significant impacts on an individual's earnings and economic
wellbeing. U.S. Census Bureau data from 2013 on the poverty
status of Californians ages 25 and older indicate that over 25%
of individuals with less than a high school degree were living
below the federal poverty level. For those with a high school
degree or equivalent, 15% were living below the poverty level.
This rate fell to about 10% for individuals who had attended
some college or obtained an associate's degree. Those with a
bachelor's degree or higher faced the lowest rate of poverty, at
just over 5%. For homeless youth, support in overcoming
barriers to higher education may be particularly impactful on
their futures, offering opportunities to achieve economic
mobility.
According to the author, "Homeless youth lack the resources and
support that many college students enjoy. Often for homeless
youth, completing high school can be a challenge and gaining
college admittance an even bigger hurdle. Homeless youth
navigating the college admission process and getting their
degrees face hurdles that other students do not: housing in
between school sessions, transportation, financial support, etc.
While there are currently some government programs that are
designed to help people with the same impediments, many homeless
youth are not aware of them or don't pursue them because they
believe they lack the necessary documents (parent's income,
proof of residency, etc.). Homeless youth need support to get
into and stay in college, they should be allowed to access some
of the assistance given to foster youth. [This bill] will
implement policies that will directly help homeless youth
succeed in higher education. The bill will provide homeless
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students with the tools to access more financial assistance and
help them get into college."
SECOND COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE . This bill was previously heard
in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, on April 21, 2015
and was approved on an 11-2 vote.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089
AB 801
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