Amended in Assembly April 30, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1091

Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia

February 27, 2015

An act to begin insert amend Section 69432.9 of, and to end insert add Sections begin delete 69433.91 end delete begin insert 69432.92, 69433.92, end insert and 69519.2 begin delete to end delete begin insert to, end insert the Education Code, relating to student financial aid.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1091, as amended, Eduardo Garcia. Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program.

The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and Cal Grant B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C award, and the Cal Grant T award under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions.

This bill would require the commission begin delete to: (1) end delete begin insert to end insert develop and make available on its Internet Web begin delete Site end delete begin insert site end insert to each school district, begin insert (1) end insert a graduation verification template for the school district to input and upload graduation data concerning its pupils for use by the commission, and begin insert (2) end insert a report that lists the names of all grade 12 pupils within a school district who have and have not completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act application for use by the school begin delete district, and (2) end delete begin insert district. The bill would require the commission, to the greatest extent feasible, to end insert align the collection and reporting of information between the United States Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid system, the commission, and school districts, that is used to determine whether applicants are eligible for Cal Grants and whether to issue Cal Grant awards. begin insert The bill would also authorize the commission to require that verification of high school graduation or its equivalent be electronically submitted for all former grade 12 pupils who graduated from public schools, including charter schools, in the prior academic year, except for pupils who have opted out, as specified. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 69432.9 of the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert is amended
to read: end insert

69432.9.  

(a) A Cal Grant applicant shall submit a complete
official financial aid application pursuant to Section 69433 and
applicable regulations adopted by the commission. Each pupil
enrolled in grade 12 in a California public school, including a
charter school, other than pupils who opt out as provided in
subdivision (d), shall be deemed to be a Cal Grant applicant.

(b) Financial need shall be determined to establish an applicant’s
initial eligibility for a Cal Grant award and a renewing recipient’s
continued eligibility using the federal financial need methodology
pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69506 and applicable
regulations adopted by the commission, and as established by Title
IV of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20
U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.).

(1) “Expected family contribution,” with respect to an applicant
or renewing recipient, shall be determined using the federal
methodology pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69506 (as
established by Title IV of the federal Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.)) and applicable
rules and regulations adopted by the commission.

(2) “Financial need” means the difference between the student’s
cost of attendance as determined by the commission and the
expected family contribution. The calculation of financial need
shall be consistent with Title IV of the federal Higher Education
Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.).

(3) (A) The minimum financial need required for receipt of an
initial and renewal Cal Grant A or C award shall be no less than
the maximum annual award value for the applicable institution,
plus an additional one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) of
financial need.

(B) The minimum financial need required for receipt of an initial
and renewal Cal Grant B award shall be no less than seven hundred
dollars ($700).

(c) (1) The commission shall require that a grade point average
be submitted to it for all Cal Grant A and B applicants, except for
those permitted to provide test scores in lieu of a grade point
average.

(2) The commission shall require that a grade point average be
submitted to it electronically for all grade 12 pupils at public
schools, including charter schools, each academic year, except for
pupils who have opted out as provided in subdivision (d). Social
security numbers shall not be included in the information submitted
to the commission. However, if the commission determines that
a social security number is required to complete the application
for financial aid, the school, school district, or charter school may
obtain permission from the parent or guardian of the pupil, or the
pupil, if he or she is 18 years of age, to submit the pupil’s social
security number to the commission.

(3) The commission shall require that each report of a grade
point average include a certification, executed under penalty of
perjury, by a school official, that the grade point average reported
is accurately reported. The certification shall include a statement
that it is subject to review by the commission or its designee.

(4) The commission shall adopt regulations that establish a grace
period for receipt of the grade point average and any appropriate
corrections, and that set forth the circumstances under which a
student may submit a specified test score designated by the
commission, by regulation, in lieu of submitting a qualifying grade
point average.

(5) It is the intent of the Legislature that high schools and
institutions of higher education certify the grade point averages of
their students in time to meet the application deadlines imposed
by this chapter.

begin insert

(6) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission make
available to each high school and school district a report
identifying all grade 12 pupils within the high school or school
district, respectively, who have and have not completed the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act
Application.

end insert

(d) (1) The school district or charter school shall, no later than
October 15 of a pupil’s grade 12 academic year, notify, in writing,
each grade 12 pupil and, for a pupil under 18 years of age, his or
her parent or guardian that, pursuant to subdivision (a), the pupil
will be deemed a Cal Grant applicant unless the pupil opts out
within a period of time specified in the notice, which shall not be
less than 30 days. The required notice shall indicate when the
school will first send grade point averages to the commission. The
school district or charter school shall provide an opportunity for
the pupil to opt out of being automatically deemed a Cal Grant
applicant.

(2) (A) Until a pupil turns 18 years of age, only a parent or
guardian may opt the pupil out. Once a pupil turns 18 years of age,
only the pupil may opt himself or herself out and, if prior to the
conclusion of the notice period, the pupil may opt in over the prior
decision of a parent or guardian to opt out.

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 69432.92 is added to the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert , to
read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 69432.92. end insert   

(a) The commission may require verification of high
school graduation or its equivalent to be electronically submitted
for all former grade 12 pupils who graduated from public schools,
including charter schools, in the prior academic year, except for
pupils who have opted out as provided in subdivision (d) of Section
69432.9.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that high schools or high
school districts verify the graduation of their pupils in time to meet
the deadlines imposed by subdivision (e) of Section 69433.9.

end insert

begin delete SECTION 1. end delete
begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

Section 69433.92 is added to the Education Code, to
read:

69433.92.  

(a) The commission shall develop, and make
available on its Internet Web site to each school district, a
graduation verification template for use by the school district to
input and upload graduation verification data for its pupils, so that
the commission can determine if those pupils are eligible for Cal
Grants.

(b) The commission shall, to the greatest extent feasible, align
the collection and reporting of information between the United
States Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal
Student Aid system, the commission, and school districts that is
used to determine if applicants are eligible for Cal Grants and
whether to issue Cal Grant awards for students who attend
qualifying institutions.

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete
begin insert SEC. 4. end insert   

Section 69519.2 is added to the Education Code, to
read:

69519.2.  

The commission shall develop, and make available
on its Internet Web site to each school district for the district’s
use, a standard report that lists the names of all grade 12 pupils
within the school district who have and have not completed the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream
Act application.