BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1361
Page 1
GOVERNOR'S VETO
AB
1361 (Burke)
As Enrolled September 11, 2015
2/3 vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Higher |12-0 |Medina, Baker, | |
|Education | |Bloom, Chávez, | |
| | |Harper, Irwin, | |
| | |Levine, Linder, | |
| | |Low, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
AB 1361
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|ASSEMBLY: | 80-0 |(June 1, 2015) |SENATE: | 40-0 | (September 9, |
| | | | | |2015) |
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SUMMARY: Exempts a current or former member of the Armed Forces
of the United States, unless the individual received a
dishonorable discharge, from the age limitations of the
California Community College (CCC) Transfer Cal Grant
Entitlement Program. Requires an institution to ensure that it
does not accept award funds under both this section and United
States Code Title 38 in the same award year for a current or
former member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is 28
years of age or older.
EXISTING LAW: Establishes the Cal Grant program, administered
by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), to provide
tuition and access cost assistance to eligible students
attending qualified institutions. The CCC Transfer Entitlement
Awards provides Cal Grant A and B awards to every student who
graduated from a California high school after June 30, 2000, was
a California resident at the time of high school graduation,
transferred to a qualifying baccalaureate-degree granting
institution from a CCC during the award year, was under the age
of 28 at the time of the transfer, and had a minimum California
Community College grade point average (GPA) of 2.4. Maximum
award amounts for California State University (CSU) and
University of California (UC) are established in the annual
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Budget Act and have traditionally covered all systemwide tuition
and fees. The maximum tuition award for Cal Grant A and B for
students attending private for-profit colleges is $4,000
(commencing 2013-14), and for students attending non-profit or
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)-accredited
for-profit institutions is $8,056 (commencing 2015-16).
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, likely minor ongoing General Fund costs for
additional Cal Grants. Because GI Bill benefits are more
generous that Cal Grants, which only cover tuition costs (plus a
stipend under Cal Grant B), veterans eligible for both benefit
would be more likely to use the former. Examples where this bill
might apply would be a transferring veteran who elects to use
their Cal Grant to obtain their bachelor's degree and then uses
their GI Bill benefits for graduate school, or a veteran who
depletes their GI Bill benefits at a private institution, then
attends and completes lower division work at a community
college, and finally uses their Cal Grant to get their
bachelor's degree.
COMMENTS: According to the author, the age eligibility
requirement presents a barrier for veterans who are attending
college later in life. According to The Million Records Project
by the Student Veterans of America, nationwide 85% of veteran
students are older than 24 years of age, 47% of veterans
students are supporting a family, and 46% of veterans students
are 25 years of age or older when they first enroll in college.
This bill assists veterans by removing the age eligibility
requirement for current or former members of the Armed Forces of
the United States for the CCC Transfer Entitlement Program.
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE:
This bill authorizes a current or former member of the United
AB 1361
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States Armed Forces to receive a California Community College
Transfer Cal Grant entitlement award, even if the student is
over 28 years of age unless the student received a dishonorable
discharge.
While the bill is well intentioned, our California veterans are
provided with many different educational benefits including
federal Montgomery GI benefits and eligibility to pay California
residence fees for both themselves and their dependents at the
University of California, the California State University and
California Community Colleges. 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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN:
0002476