BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2494
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
2494 (Roger Hernández)
As Introduced May 27, 2016
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Veterans |8-0 |Irwin, Chávez, Alejo, | |
|Affairs | |Brown, Daly, Frazier, | |
| | |Mathis, Salas | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Higher |13-0 |Medina, Baker, Bloom, | |
|Education | |Chávez, Irwin, | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, Levine, | |
| | |Linder, Low, Olsen, | |
| | |Santiago, Weber, | |
| | |Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |20-0 |Gonzalez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonilla, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, Holden, | |
AB 2494
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| | |Jones, Obernolte, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: This bill would establish the Veteran Resource Centers
Grant Program at the California Community Colleges (CCC).
Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes 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.
2)Establishes the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Fund in the
State Treasury.
3)Allocates 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.
4)Require the chancellors to submit a report to the Legislature
on the progress of the program by May 31, 2019.
EXISTING LAW: Existing law establishes the CCC under the
administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC and requires
the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to
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be known as the Chancellor of the CCC.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Appropriations Committee:
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. [General Fund-Prop 98]
Additional costs to the Chancellor's Office, which currently has
a Veterans' Specialist position, would be minor and absorbable.
COMMENTS:
According to the author:
There are currently 113 campuses that make up the CCC
system. According to the CCC, an estimated 2.2 million
veterans reside in California, the most in the nation. That
number is expected to increase dramatically as more military
personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan complete their
service.
As these veterans transition back to civilian life, many
attend one of California's community colleges. In fact,
over 60,000 veteran students are in enrolled in a community
college today.
In 2010, the California Community Colleges High Tech Center
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Training Unit created a pilot program to establish VRCs at
community colleges. The VRCs assist veteran students in
re-entering the educational system by providing veteran
students additional guidance and services.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
released the Veterans Resource Center Review Project report,
which cited the progress of several VRCs statewide. Within
its findings, the Chancellor's Office found VRCs offer
dedicated staff and camaraderie to veteran students which
help these students succeed. Furthermore, the report stated
that funding sources are necessary in order to adequately
accommodate existing veteran students and to prepare for the
increase of veteran students in the near future.
As mentioned in the authors' statement, the pilot program report
notes funding as the primary challenge to VRCs. The report's
conclusion is worth quoting here:
Funding has been expressed as the major road block to the
continued viability of this and all other VRCs. The message
that Santa Monica wishes the CO to hear is? "All California
Community College campuses should have a VRC. I hear too
many stories from veterans about lack of services on other
college campuses. I don ' t think we can do much to affect the
CSUs (although they are getting some nice centers) or the UC
campuses but the CCCs are the ideal places to help our
veterans transition to civilian life and higher education."
The SMVRC is a small center with a large heart. While the
space is limited and cramped, the staff are dedicated, the
students inspiring, and the atmosphere friendly and
inviting. The services are all there and range from
certification for VA benefits to coordinated wellness
programs and Veterans' Club activities. Recreational space
is limited, but staff are hopeful about a future expanded
location. ?.
This bill is an elegant attempt to create a scalable competitive
grant program to triage and meet the wide range of VRC needs and
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varying levels of service across the massive community college
system.
Analysis Prepared by:
John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550 FN:
0003080