California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1892

Introduced by Assembly Member Medina

February 11, 2016

An act to amend Section 69439 of the Education Code, relating to student financial aid.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1892, as introduced, Medina. Student financial aid: Cal Grant C awards.

The Cal Grant Program establishes Cal Grant C awards, which may be used only for institutional fees, and other costs, as specified, for occupational or technical training in a course of not less than 4 months, under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. The program requires the commission to give priority in granting Cal Grant C awards to students pursuing occupational or technical training in areas that meet at least 2 criteria.

This bill would set the maximum Cal Grant C award amount at $3,000, would authorize these awards to be used for institutional charges and access costs, as defined, and would give priority, for students seeking to enroll in a community college, to those students pursuing occupational or technical training in industry sectors determined by the California Community College Economic and Workforce Development Program to be a high priority for the region encompassing the college.

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

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 69439 of the Education Code is amended
to read:

69439.  

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms
have the following meanings:

(1) “Career pathway” has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 88620.

(2) “Economic security” has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 14005 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.

(3) “Industry cluster” has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 88620.

(4) “Long-term unemployed” means, with respect to an award
applicant, a person who has been unemployed for more than 26
weeks at the time of submission to the commission of his or her
application.

(5) “Occupational or technical training” means that phase of
education coming after the completion of a secondary school
program and leading toward recognized occupational goals
approved by the commission.

(b) A Cal Grant C award shall be utilized only for occupational
or technical training in a course of not less than four months. There
shall be the same number of Cal Grant C awards each year as were
made in the 2000-01 fiscal year. The maximum award amount
begin delete and the total amount of funding shall be determined each year in
the annual Budget Act. end delete begin insert shall be three thousand dollars ($3,000). end insert

(c) The commission may use criteria it deems appropriate in
selecting students to receive grants for occupational or technical
training and shall give special consideration to the social and
economic situations of the students applying for these grants, giving
additional weight to disadvantaged applicants, applicants who face
economic hardship, and applicants who face particular barriers to
employment. Criteria to be considered for these purposes shall
include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Family income and household size.

(2) Student’s or the students’ parent’s household status,
including whether the student is a single parent or child of a single
parent.

(3) The employment status of the applicant and whether the
applicant is unemployed, giving greater weight to the long-term
unemployed.

(d) The Cal Grant C award recipients shall be eligible for
renewal of their grants until they have completed their occupational
or technical training in conformance with terms prescribed by the
commission. A determination by the commission for a subsequent
award year that the program under which a Cal Grant C award was
initially awarded is no longer deemed to receive priority shall not
affect an award recipient’s renewal. In no case shall the grants
exceed two calendar years.

(e) Cal Grant C awards may be used for institutional begin delete fees,
charges, and other costs, including tuition, plus training-related
costs, such as special clothing, local transportation, required tools,
equipment, supplies, books, and living expenses. end delete begin insert charges and
access costs, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 69432.7. end insert In
determining the individual award amounts, the commission shall
take into account the financial means available to the student to
fund his or her course of study and costs of attendance as well as
other state and federal programs available to the applicant.

(f) (1) To ensure alignment with the state’s dynamic economic
needs, the commission, in consultation with appropriate state and
federal agencies, including the Economic and Workforce
Development Division of the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges and the California Workforce
Investment Board, shall identify areas of occupational and technical
training for which students may utilize Cal Grant C awards. The
commission, to the extent feasible, shall also consult with
representatives of the state’s leading competitive and emerging
industry clusters, workforce professionals, and career technical
educators, to determine which occupational training programs and
industry clusters should be prioritized.

(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the areas of
occupational and technical training developed pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall be regularly reviewed and updated at least
every five years, beginning in 2012.

(B) By January 1, 2016, the commission shall update the priority
areas of occupational and technical training.

(3) (A) The commission shall give priority in granting Cal
Grant C awards to students pursuing occupational or technical
training in areas that meet two of the following criteria pertaining
to job quality:

(i) High employer need or demand for the specific skills offered
in the program.

(ii) High employment growth in the occupational field or
industry cluster for which the student is being trained.

(iii) High employment salary and wage projections for workers
employed in the occupations for which they are being trained.

(iv) The occupation or training program is part of a
well-articulated career pathway to a job providing economic
security.

(B) To receive priority pursuant to subparagraph (A), at least
one of the criteria met shall be specified in clause (iii) or (iv) of
that subparagraph.

begin insert

(4) In addition to the priority given pursuant to paragraph (3)
for students seeking to enroll in a community college, the
commission shall give priority in granting Cal Grant C awards to
students pursuing occupational or technical training in industry
sectors determined by the California Community College Economic
and Workforce Development Program to be a high priority for the
region encompassing the college.

end insert

(g) The commission shall determine areas of occupational or
technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f) in consultation with the Employment
Development Department, the Economic and Workforce
Development Division of the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges, and the California Workforce
Investment Board using projections available through the Labor
Market Information Data Library. The commission may supplement
the analyses of the Employment Development Department’s Labor
Market Information Data Library with the labor market analyses
developed by the Economic and Workforce Development Division
of the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and the California Workforce Investment Board, as well
as the projections of occupational shortages and skills gap
developed by industry leaders. The commission shall publish, and
retain, on its Internet Web site a current list of the areas of
occupational or technical training that meet the criteria described
in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f), and update this list as necessary.

(h) Using the best available data, the commission shall examine
the graduation rates and job placement data, or salary data, of
eligible programs. Commencing with the 2014-15 academic year,
the commission shall give priority to Cal Grant C award applicants
seeking to enroll in programs that rate high in graduation rates and
job placement data, or salary data.

(i) (1) The commission shall consult with the Employment
Development Department, the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges, the California Workforce
Investment Board, and the local workforce investment boards to
develop a plan to publicize the existence of the grant award
program to California’s long-term unemployed to be used by those
consulting agencies when they come in contact with members of
the population who are likely to be experiencing long-term
unemployment. The outreach plan shall use existing administrative
and service delivery processes making use of existing points of
contact with the long-term unemployed. The local workforce
investment boards are required to participate only to the extent
that the outreach efforts are a part of their existing responsibilities
under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Public Law
105-220).

(2) The commission shall consult with the Workforce Services
Branch of the Employment Development Department, the Office
of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the
California Workforce Investment Board, and the local workforce
investment boards to develop a plan to make students receiving
awards aware of job search and placement services available
through the Employment Development Department and the local
workforce investment boards. Outreach shall use existing
administrative and service delivery processes making use of
existing points of contact with the students. The local workforce
investment boards are required to participate only to the extent
that the outreach efforts are a part of their existing responsibilities
under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Public Law
105-220).

(j) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government
Code, the Legislative Analyst’s Office shall submit a report to the
Legislature on the outcomes of the Cal Grant C program on or
before April 1, 2015, and on or before April 1 of each
odd-numbered year thereafter. This report shall include, but not
necessarily be limited to, information on all of the following:

(A) The age, gender, and segment of attendance for recipients
in two prior award years.

(B) The occupational and technical training program categories
prioritized.

(C) The number and percentage of students who received
selection priority as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).

(D) The extent to which recipients in these award years were
successfully placed in jobs that meet local, regional, or state
workforce needs.

(2) For the report due on or before April 1, 2015, the Legislative
Analyst’s Office shall include data for two additional prior award
years and shall compare the mix of occupational and technical
training programs and institutions in which Cal Grant C award
recipients enrolled before and after implementation of subdivision
(f).

(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall
be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.