Amended in Senate August 18, 2015

Amended in Senate July 8, 2015

Amended in Assembly June 1, 2015

Amended in Assembly May 7, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1366

Introduced by Assembly Member Lopez

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Bonta)

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Cristina Garcia)

February 27, 2015

An act to add Section 68130.6 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1366, as amended, Lopez. Public postsecondary education: Dream Resource begin delete Centers. end delete begin insert Liaisons. end insert

Existing law establishes the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

Existing law provides that a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001-02 academic year, and who, if he or she is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed an affidavit, as specified, is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University.

This bill would, commencing with the 2017-18 academic year, require the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request the University of California, to begin delete create end delete begin insert designate a end insert Dream Resource begin delete Centers end delete begin insert Liaison end insert on begin insert each of end insert their campuses, as specified, to assist certain students by streamlining access to all available financial aid and academic opportunities for those students. The bill would authorize Dream Resource Centers to offer support services, including but not necessarily limited to, state and institutional financial aid assistance, academic counseling, peer support services, psychological counseling, referral services, and legal services. The bill would require each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University begin delete that is not required to have a Dream Resource Center end delete to ensure that it has a begin delete designated end delete staff person begin insert designated as a Dream Resource Liaison end insert who is knowledgeable in available financial aid, services, and academic opportunities for all students meeting specified begin delete requirements , end delete begin insert requirements, end insert including undocumented students. By requiring community colleges to begin delete create end delete begin insert designate a end insert Dream Resource begin delete Centers, end delete begin insert Liaison, end insert this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would authorize the trustees, the board of governors, and the regents to seek and accept on behalf of the state any gift, bequest, devise, or donation whenever the gift and the terms and conditions thereof will aid in the creation and operation of Dream Resource Centers for their respective systems.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

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

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

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to increase enrollment and
graduation rates among students meeting the requirements of
Assembly Bill 540 of the 2001-02 Regular Session (Firebaugh,
Ch. 814) by requiring the creation of Dream Resource Centers at
public institutions of higher education.

(b) It is estimated that each year approximately 65,000
undocumented students graduate from high schools, and while
California has been a leader in enacting innovative and bold laws
to provide opportunities for undocumented youth to attain higher
education, only 20 percent of these students attend college. Many
undocumented youth and their families are unaware of recent
policy changes, such as the enactment of Assembly Bill 540 of the
2001-02 Regular Session, the California Dream Act of 2011, and
the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), that
make college graduation more attainable. Currently, the majority
of college campuses do not have a centralized location that provides
specialized support services and resources for students meeting
the requirements of Assembly Bill 540 of the 2001-02 Regular
Session.

(c) The creation of Dream Resource Centers would save staff
time and resources by streamlining all available financial aid and
academic opportunities for students meeting the requirements of
Assembly Bill 540 of the 2001-02 Regular Session. These Dream
Resource Centers would seek to empower and create a safe and
welcoming environment for those students. These centers would
increase enrollment, transfer, and graduation rates among this
population.

(d) A number of college campuses have acknowledged the needs
and challenges of these students and have created Dream Resource
Centers. These include: the University of California, Los Angeles;
the University of California, Davis; the California State University,
Los Angeles; the California State University, Fullerton; and the
California State University, Northridge. These centers provide,
among other things, informational workshops, legal clinics,
information on programs available to undocumented immigrants,
and peer mentoring and support services to increase awareness of
existing programs and available resources, enhance professional
development, and increase employment opportunities.

SEC. 2.  

Section 68130.6 is added to the Education Code, to
read:

68130.6.  

(a) Commencing with the 2017-18 academic year,
the California Community Colleges and the California State
University shall, and the University of California is requested to,
begin delete create end delete begin insert designate a end insert Dream Resource begin delete Centers end delete begin insert Liaison end insert on begin insert each of end insert
their campuses, as specified in subdivision (b), to assist students
meeting the requirements set forth in Section 68130.5 by
streamlining access to all available financial aid and academic
opportunities for those students.

begin delete

(b) (1) (A) The California Community Colleges shall create
Dream Resource Centers on any campus that has at least 500
currently enrolled students meeting the requirements set forth in
Section 68130.5.

(B) Any

end delete

begin insert (b) end insert   begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Each end insert campus of the California Community Colleges
begin delete that has less than 500 currently enrolled students meeting the
requirements set forth in Section 68130.5 end delete shall ensure that it has
a begin delete designated end delete staff person begin insert designated as a Dream Resource Liaison end insert
who is knowledgeable in available financial aid, services, and
academic opportunities for all students meeting the requirements
set forth in Section 68130.5, including undocumented students.
The Legislature encourages each of these campuses to place this
designated staff person in the campus’ extended opportunities
programs and services office or financial aid office.

begin delete

(2) (A) The California State University shall create Dream
Resource Centers on any campus where any of its local feeder
community colleges meets the requirement in subparagraph (A)
of paragraph (1).

(B) Any

end delete

begin insert (2) end insert   begin insert Each end insert campus of the California State University begin delete where none
of its local feeder community colleges meet the requirement in
subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) end delete shall ensure that it has a
begin delete designated end delete staff person begin insert designated as a Dream Resource Liaison end insert
who is knowledgeable in available financial aid, services, and
academic opportunities for all students meeting the requirements
set forth in Section 68130.5, including undocumented students.
The Legislature encourages each of these campuses to place this
designated staff person in the campus’ begin delete extended end delete begin insert educational end insert
opportunities programs and services office or financial aid office.

(3) The University of California is requested to begin delete create end delete begin insert designate
a end insert Dream Resource begin delete Centers end delete begin insert Liaison end insert on each of its campuses.

(c) Dream Resource Centers may offer support services,
including, but not necessarily limited to, state and institutional
financial aid assistance, academic counseling, peer support services,
psychological counseling, referral services, and legal services.

(d) (1) This section shall not be construed as requiring the
construction of a new or separate space for Dream Resource
Centers.

(2) Dream Resource Centers may be housed within existing
student service or academic centers.

begin insert

(3) The space in which the Dream Resource Liaison is located
may be deemed a Dream Resource Center.

end insert

(e) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government Code
and any other law requiring approval by a state officer of gifts,
bequests, devises, or donations, the Trustees of the California State
University, the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges, and the Regents of the University of California may seek
and accept on behalf of the state any gift, bequest, devise, or
donation whenever the gift and the terms and conditions thereof
will aid in the creation and operation of Dream Resource Centers
for their respective systems.

SEC. 3.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.