AB 2494, as introduced, Roger Hernández. Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
This bill would establish the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program, which would authorize the governing board of a community college district and a community college campus at which a veterans resource center has been or is intended to be established to jointly apply to the chancellor for a grant for purposes of providing resources to veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States enrolled at the campus. The bill would establish the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would allocate moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to the chancellor for, among other things, administration of the program and distribution of awards to recipient community college districts and campuses. The bill would also require the chancellor to submit a report to the Legislature on the progress of the program by May 31, 2019.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares the following:
2(a) More than 60,000 veterans and active duty service members
3were enrolled at campuses of the California Community Colleges
4in the 2013-14 academic year.
5(b) Education is a tool for community college students to achieve
6economic success.
7(c) Veterans face unique challenges in achieving professional
8success, including posttraumatic-stress disorder and assimilation
9to civilian life during and after serving on active duty.
10(d) The intent of the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program
11is to help
veterans and active duty service members enrolled at
12campuses of the California Community Colleges achieve academic
13and professional success.
Part 52.7 (commencing with Section 88670) is added
15to Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
16
This part shall be known, and may be cited as, the
21Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program.
The Veteran Resource Centers Grant Fund is hereby
23established in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund, upon
24appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, shall
25be allocated to the chancellor for the implementation and
26administration of this part.
A governing board of a community college district and
28a community college campus at which a veterans resource center
29has been or is intended to be established may jointly apply to the
30chancellor for a grant for purposes of providing resources to
31veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces of the
32United States enrolled at the campus to help them succeed
33academically.
(a) The chancellor shall do the following:
P3 1(1) Administer the program and distribute awards to recipient
2community college districts and campuses.
3(2) Develop application criteria, administrative guidelines, and
4other requirements, by May 26, 2017, through a stakeholder process
5and public meetings, for purposes of administering the program.
6Those requirements may include the chancellor awarding funding
7priority to community college district and campus applicants that
8commit to contributing an amount of funds in addition to the grant
9to develop, enhance, or maintain a veteran resource center at a
10community college campus.
11(b) The chancellor shall submit a report to the Legislature on
12the progress of the program on or before May 31, 2019.
13(c) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
14subdivision (b) is inoperative on June 1, 2023, pursuant to Section
1510231.5 of the Government Code.
16(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall
17be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
18Code.
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