BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1091|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1091
Author: Eduardo Garcia (D)
Amended: 6/1/15 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 7/15/15
AYES: Liu, Runner, Block, Hancock, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning,
Pan, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-2, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill authorizes the California Student Aid
Commission (CSAC) to require verification of high school
graduation to be electronically submitted for high school
graduates for the purpose of determining financial aid
eligibility, as specified, and requires the electronic
submission of grade point average (GPA) information on a
standardize form.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Authorizes the Cal Grant program, administered by the CSAC, to
provide grants to financially needy students to attend a
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college or university. The Cal Grant programs include both the
entitlement and the competitive Cal Grant awards. The program
consists of the Cal Grant A, Cal Grant B, and Cal Grant C
programs, and eligibility is based upon financial need, GPA,
California residency and other criteria. (Education Code §
69430-69433)
2)Prohibits a school district from permitting access to pupil
records without written parental consent but makes some
exceptions, as specified. Existing law authorizes school
districts to release information from pupil records to
agencies or organizations in connection with the application
of a pupil for, or receipt of, financial aid. However,
information permitting the personal identification of a pupil
or his or her parents, may be disclosed only as necessary for
the purpose to determine the eligibility of the pupil for
financial aid, to determine the amount of the financial aid,
to determine the conditions that will be imposed regarding the
financial aid, or to enforce the terms or conditions of the
financial aid. (EC § 49076)
3)Requires GPAs for Cal Grant A and B applicants to be submitted
to CSAC; requires GPAs to include a certification by a school
official that the GPA is accurately reported; authorizes CSAC
to establish grace periods for the receipt of GPAs and
corrections; and, establishes legislative intent that high
schools and institutions of higher education certify GPAs of
students in time to meet Cal Grant application deadlines. (EC
§ 69432)
4)Requires a GPA for all high school seniors at public schools
to be submitted to CSAC electronically by a school or school
district official. Requires a school district to provide an
opportunity for a student and/or guardian to opt out and
requires students and/or guardians to be notified of the
opportunity to opt out. (EC § 96432.9)
This bill:
1)Authorizes the CSAC to require verification of high school
graduation to be electronically submitted for high school
graduates who graduated from a public school, including
charter schools, in the prior academic year.
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2)Provides for an exception to the electronic submission of high
school graduation information for students who have opted out,
as specified under existing law.
3)Requires the electronic submission of GPA information on a
standardize form.
4)Declares legislative intent that high school districts verify
the graduation of their students in time to meet the
established deadlines and that the CSAC make available to high
schools or high school districts a list of seniors who have
and have not completed the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application.
5)Establishes if the Commission on State Mandates determines
that this bill contains costs mandated by the state, the state
shall reimburse the applicable entities.
Comments
Need for the bill? According to author, many students often
times become overwhelmed with the Cal Grant application process
and fail to submit verification of high school graduation to
CSAC. The author further asserts that missing this important
step could make the difference between a student attending
college or not. This bill aims to streamline the financial aid
process and increase Cal Grant and FAFSA completion rates by
requiring the electronic submission of high school graduation
information.
Existing process for verification. According to the CSAC the
method for providing verification varies depending on the school
district. For the most part, it is the responsibility of the
school district to submit the information to CSAC; however, if
the district fails to provide the information, the
responsibility falls on the student. Generally, most submissions
are electronic, but thousands of paper forms are submitted that
have to be keyed in manually. This bill seeks to give the CSAC
the authority to create a standardized process for collecting
information directly from school districts when determining Cal
Grant eligibility.
Privacy rights? The federal Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act applies to all schools that receive federal funding
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through the U.S. Department of Education and protects the
privacy of student educational records. Generally, schools must
have written permission from the parent or eligible student in
order to release any information from a student's educational
record. However, schools are authorized to disclose records
without consent to specific parties or under specific
conditions, including to appropriate parties in connection with
financial aid to a student. This exemption is currently used to
authorize the provision of the student's GPA and graduation
information to CSAC when a student is applying for financial
aid.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
The CSAC indicates one position and $120,000 will be needed to
design, implement, and provide support to schools and school
districts for the new tool within its existing Grant Delivery
System. (General Fund)
Unknown, potentially significant reimbursable state mandate
costs if the Commission on State Mandates determines this bill
to impose a mandate should the CSAC require verification of
high school graduation to be electronically submitted for all
former grade 12 students who graduated. The potential for it
to be determined a mandate is unclear. If so determined, it
could create pressure to increase funding for the K-12 Mandate
Block Grant, to reflect the inclusion of the new mandate.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/27/15)
California School Boards Association
Coachella Valley Economic Partnership
The Education Trust-West
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/27/15)
None received
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-2, 6/3/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla,
Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau,
Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly,
Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo
Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove,
Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk,
Williams, Wood, Atkins
NOES: Bigelow, Beth Gaines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Thurmond
Prepared by:Olgalilia Ramirez / ED. / (916) 651-4105
8/31/15 11:43:40
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