BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 1401


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          Date of Hearing:  April 28, 2015


                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS


                                 Jacqui Irwin, Chair


          AB 1401  
          (Baker) - As Introduced February 27, 2015


          SUBJECT:  Veterans:  student financial aid


          SUMMARY:  Requests the Office of the Adjutant General to, among  
          other things, make copies of the enrollment fee waiver  
          application of the Board of Governors of the California  
          Community Colleges and the Free Application for Federal Student  
          Aid (FAFSA) available to each member of the California National  
          Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia not  
          having a baccalaureate degree. Requests the Office of the  
          Adjutant General to assist these persons in completing these  
          forms, as needed.  Requests that the Adjutant General also make  
          available additional information regarding the federal Post-9/11  
          GI Bill and the California National Guard Education Assistance  
          Award Program, and contact information for veterans' educational  
          assistance.


          EXISTING LAW: Existing law provides various benefits for  
          veterans including the GI Bill, National Guard Education  
          Assistance Award Program, and other state and federal benefits.   













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          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown


           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |COMMENTS:  According to the author:                              |
          |                                                                 |
          |  This bill will add Section 981.8 to the Military and Veterans  |
          |  Code. Section 981.8 reinstates the law that expired on January |
          |  1, 2012, and requests the Office of the Adjutant general       |
          |  annually to provide all of the following available resources   |
          |  to each member of the California National Guard, the State     |
          |  Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia who do not have a      |
          |  baccalaureate degree:   (1) a copy of the enrollment fee       |
          |  waiver application of the Board of Governors of the California |
          |  Community Colleges; (2) a copy of the Free Application for     |
          |  Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); (3) a copy of the latest brochure |
          |  of information relative to the current Post-9/11 GI Bill; (4)  |
          |  a copy of the latest brochure of information relative to the   |
          |  California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program;  |
          |  (5) contact information for a county Veterans Service Officer  |
          |  or the division responsible within the California Department   |
          |  of Veterans Affairs for higher education or the California     |
          |  National Guard, and (6) any necessary assistance required to   |
          |  complete the aforementioned forms.                             |
          |                                                                 |
          |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
          |AB 547 (Liu, 2003) created a package of new post-secondary       |
          |education incentives benefits (the biggest being a student loan  |
          |assumption program), for California National Guard members both  |
          |to recognize their service and to incentivize participation in   |
          |the Guard at a time when the United States was in armed conflict |
          |in Iraq. The section concerning information dissemination was at |
          |the end of the bill and was likely intended to increase          |
          |awareness about the new Loan Assumption program.                 |
          |                                                                 |
          |The new program would be administered by the Student Aid         |
          |Commission, which explains why most of the information           |
          |dissemination concerned higher education benefits and forms.     |








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          |Pertinent legislative intent was:                                |
          |                                                                 |
          |  Section 1 (d) Postsecondary education benefit incentive        |
          |  programs have been highly successful in providing enlistment   |
          |  and retention inducements for maintaining and strengthening    |
          |  national guard and reserve programs in other states.           |
          |                                                                 |
          |  (e) It is the intent of the Legislature to further the public  |
          |  purposes served by the California National Guard, the State    |
          |  Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia by providing           |
          |  enlistment and retention inducements by making postsecondary   |
          |  education benefits available to members serving the state      |
          |  faithfully for a period of at least one year.                  |
          |                                                                 |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          AB 547 contained a sunset provision and the particular section  
          at issue in this bill, MVC 918.8, ceased to operate as part of  
          the sunset of the program created by the bill.


          The wording of the section proposed by the bill before the  
          Committee is slightly different than the 2003 bill, to reflect  
          the sunset of the Loan Assumption Program and other changes  
          since 2003.  


          Conditions have changed since 2003 and the context of the bill  
          before the Committee is different than the context of AB 547; no  
          major new higher education programs are being created by this  
          bill, the operation tempo of United States' armed conflicts has  
          decreased, the overall troop strength of the military is  
          generally in a period of contraction, etc.  However, the bill is  
          permissive, very modest in scope, either wholly or nearly  
          reflective of the current practice of the Department, and the  
          information dissemination requested is achievable using the  
          Internet.  The goal of connecting servicemembers with all of the  
          benefits to which they are entitled is consistent with state  
          policy. 









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          Technical Suggestions: If the bill progresses the author may  
          wish to consider including information dissemination about the  
          College Tuition Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents.  This  
          benefit, though not for the student veteran him or herself,  
          waives mandatory system-wide tuition and fees at any State of  
          California Community College, California State University, or  
          University of California campus for certain eligible dependents  
          of veterans (including spouses).  The value and impact of this  
          benefit to eligible recipients cannot be overstated.


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          AMVETS, Department of California
          California Association of County Veteran Service Officers
          County of Contra Costa


          Military Officers Association of America, California Council of  
          Chapters
          Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California


          Opposition


          None on File. 




          Analysis Prepared by:John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550








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