BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2494
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2494 (Roger Hernández) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
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|Policy |Veterans Affairs |Vote:|8 - 0 |
|Committee: | | | |
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| |Higher Education | |13 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
The bill establishes a grant program to support California
Community Colleges (CCC) veterans' resource centers.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the Chancellor of the CCC to develop and administer
the grant program. Community college districts may apply for
grants for existing or planned centers to provide assistance
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to veterans and active duty Armed Forces members to help them
succeed academically.
2)Provides that the program requirements may include funding
priority to campuses providing matching funds.
3)Stipulates that funding for the program is subject to an
appropriation by the Legislature.
4)Requires the Chancellor to provide a progress report to the
Legislature regarding the program by May 31, 2019.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)State costs will depend on the parameters of the grant
program, such as the extent of any district matching
requirement, and how many districts seek to participate. It is
assumed the grants would be an ongoing cost to support the
veterans' resource center, though the program could be
designed to phase out state support after a period of time. A
viable state grant program would be at least several million
dollars annually. Assuming a minimum state grant of $100,000
at every campus, statewide costs would be $11 million
annually. [GF-Prop 98]
2)Additional costs to the Chancellor's Office, which currently
has a Veterans' Specialist position, would be minor and
absorbable.
COMMENTS:
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1)Purpose. According to the CCC Chancellor's Office, in 2013-14,
veterans and active duty military personnel comprised over
60,000 of the over 2.1 million students attending CCCs.
According to the author, "Based on our research, current law
is silent regarding VRCs [Veterans Resource Centers]. The
recent proliferation of VRCs is largely based on philanthropic
efforts by public and private donors, as well as partnerships
with local businesses." The author contends that AB 2494,
"demonstrates a commitment by the state to work with
charitable groups and build VRCs to provide veterans with
necessary academic tools to succeed."
According to the Chancellor's Office, 74 of the 113 CCC
campuses have VRCs, up from just 15 campuses 4 years ago. The
first VRC obtained a federal grant, and served as a model for
other campuses, though federal resources were similarly not
available. The centers vary from a small room to office space
with computers and furniture.
2)Prior Legislation. In 2015, AB 2494 (Hernandez), a
substantially similar bill, was held on this committee's
Suspense file.
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
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