BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1995 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 1995 (Williams) - As Amended March 14, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Higher Education |Vote:|13 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: Yes SUMMARY: This bill requires California Community Colleges (CCC) campuses to grant enrolled homeless students access to campus shower facilities. Specifically, this bill: AB 1995 Page 2 1)Specifies that, if a campus has shower facilities for student use, the community college district (CCD) governing board shall grant any homeless student access to those facilities. 2)Requires the governing board to create a plan of action to implement the above, including: hours of operation; a student safety plan for shower facility use; and conducting outreach to homeless students at each community college campus about resources offered by the college and the community. 3)Incorporates the above as part of the CCC's Student Success and Support Program (SSSP). FISCAL EFFECT: Assuming costs of $2,000 per district to adopt the required policy, one-time state reimbursable costs for 72 districts will be $144,000 (GF-Prop 98). Ongoing state reimbursable costs to implement the policy are unknown, but would likely be at least a few million annually. At $15,000 to $25,000 per campus, statewide costs for 113 campuses would be $1.7 million to $2.8 million. (GF-Prop 98) COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author, food and housing insecurity impairs the academic performance of college students. Students without permanent housing may go without showering and basic hygienic products. The author states, "Students are less likely to attend class when they do not take showers and feel insecure about their physical appearance." AB 1995 Page 3 This measure requires the governing board of a CCD to create certain protocols when authorizing homeless students to access and use campus shower facilities. 2)SSSP Funding. Existing funding for the SSSP ($300 million annually) is targeted to fully implement core services: orientation; assessment; counseling; advising; and other education planning services needed to assist a student in making an informed decision about his/her education goal and course of study and to develop an education plan; and, follow up for at-risk students. Additionally, SSSP funds may only be used for core services, and any CCD or college receiving SSSP funding must agree to implement the CCC BOG's system of common assessment. 3)Related Legislation. AB 2822 (Chiu), also on today's committee agenda, authorizes the use of SSSP funds for the provision of emergency student financial assistance. Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081