BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2494
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Date of Hearing: April 19, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 2494
(Roger Hernández) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
SUBJECT: Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program.
SUMMARY: Establishes the Veteran Resource Centers Grant (VRCG)
Program and the VRCG Fund housed in the State Treasury.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Finds and declares the following intent of the Legislature:
a) More than 60,000 veterans and active duty service
members were enrolled at campuses of the California
Community Colleges (CCC) in the 2013-14 academic year;
b) Education is a tool for community college students to
achieve economic success;
c) Veterans face unique challenges in achieving
professional success, including posttraumatic-stress
disorder and assimilation to civilian life during and after
serving on active duty; and,
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d) The intent of the VRCG Program is to help veterans and
active duty service members enrolled at CCC campuses
achieve academic and professional success.
2)Specifies that the CCC Chancellor shall do all of the
following:
a) Administer the VRCG Program and distribute awards to
recipient CCDs and CCCs; and,
b) Develop application criteria, administrative guidelines,
and other requirements, by May 26, 2017, through a
stakeholder process and public meetings, for purposes of
administering the program. Specifies that said
requirements may include the CCC Chancellor awarding
funding priority to CCD and campus applicants that commit
to contributing an amount of funds in addition to the grant
to develop, enhance, or maintain a veteran resource center
at a CCC campus.
3)Authorizes the governing board of a community college district
and a CCC campus at which a veterans resource center has been
or is intended to be established, to jointly apply to the CCC
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.
4)Establishes the VRCG Fund in the State Treasury.
5)Allocates monies in the fund, upon appropriation by the
Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to the CCC Chancellor
for, among others, administration of the program and
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distribution of awards to recipient community college
districts and campuses.
6)Requires the CCC Chancellor to submit a report to the
Legislature on the progress of the program on or before May
31, 2019.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires the California State University (CSU) and the CCC and
encourages the University of California (UC) to coordinate
services for qualified students who are veterans or members of
the military by clearly designating Military and Veterans
Offices and individuals to provide specified services to
qualified students. Current law defines "qualified student"
as a student who is any of the following: an active duty
member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the
California National Guard, a reserve component of the Armed
Forces of the Unites States, a veteran of the Armed Forces of
the United States, and/or a family member of a person (as
described above) who is a legal dependent under 28 years of
age or living in the household of that person and eligible to
be claimed as a dependent on federal or state tax returns
(Education Code (EC) Section 69785).
2)Requests the UC, CSU, the CCC to report annually to the
California Department of Veterans Affairs the number of
qualified students assisted by a Military and Veterans Office;
the number of qualified students assisted who are active duty
members of the Armed Forces of the United States, the
California National Guard, or a reserve component of the Armed
Forces of the United States, or are veterans of the Armed
Forces of the United States; and the total education benefits
by all qualified students assisted by an office (EC Section
69786).
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: Double referral. This measure passed out of the
Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee on March 29, 2016, with a
vote of 8-0.
Background. According to a recent survey by the National Center
for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, veteran students
are six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general
student population. Nearly 50 percent of the 525 veteran
students surveyed reported having had suicidal thoughts some
time in their lives. Twenty percent of these veteran students
said they had suicidal thoughts with a plan; this is a rate
three times higher than general college students who seriously
considered suicide. Experts in this field agree that suicidal
thinking with a plan is considered a very severe suicidal risk.
The majority of individuals with serious suicide risks deal with
PTSD symptoms such as: significant anxiety, intrusive thoughts,
sleep disturbances, and recurrent images from combat.
Outreach to current student veterans. The CCCs are providing
more services to a growing population of student veterans; the
CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) recognizes the need for
continued support of our student veterans and as such has been
the lead on several statewide projects, including, but not
limited to, the Veterans Resource Center Project: At VRCs,
student veterans can interact with one another and obtain
information and services. As a result, at least 24 additional
colleges have established a VRC on their campus.
To note, because the individual campuses do not have to report to
the CCCCO as to if they have a VRC, it is presently unknown the
exact number of campuses that have VRCs, however, it is estimated
that at least half of the CCCs have a VRC. Additionally, VRCs are
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staffed by either full-time employees or a mix of volunteers and
student mentors.
Purpose of this measure. According to the author, "Current law is
silent regarding VRCs. The recent proliferation of VRCS is
largely based on philanthropic efforts by public and private
donors, as well as partnerships with local business." The author
contends that this measure, "demonstrates a commitment by the
state to work with charitable groups and build VRCs to provide
veterans with necessary academic tools to succeed."
Policy consideration. As presently drafted, it is unclear as to
how the VRCG Program will be funded. Moving forward, the author
may wish to work with the Legislative Budget Committees in order
to ensure adequate funding is available and appropriated for
purposes of the CCC Chancellor being able to implement the
provisions described in this measure.
Previous legislation. AB 393 (Roger Hernández), of 2015, which
was held on the Suspense File in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, is similar in nature to this measure.
AB 421 (Calderon), of 2015, which was held on the Suspense File
in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, would, among others,
require the governing board of a community college district to
provide in each CCC within the district, a veterans counselor.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
AB 2494
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Support
North Orange County Community College District
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960