BILL NUMBER: AB 2822 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 2, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 31, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 17, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chiu
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Medina, Santiago, Weber, and
Williams)
FEBRUARY 19, 2016
An act to amend Section 78212 of add
Section 72670.7 to the Education Code, relating to student
financial aid.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2822, as amended, Chiu. Student financial aid: Student
Success and Support Program: community college
auxiliary organizations: emergency student financial
assistance.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under
the administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary
education in this state. Existing law, known as the
Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, defines "matriculation"
as a process that brings a college and a student who enrolls for
credit into an agreement for the purpose of realizing the student's
educational objectives. The act specifies the matriculation services
that community colleges are required to provide. law a
uthorizes the board of governors to establish auxiliary
organizations, as defined, for the purpose of providing supportive
services and specialized programs for the general benefit
of the mission of the California Community Colleges.
This bill would authorize the use of Student Success and
Support Program auxiliary organization funds for
the provision of emergency student financial assistance, as defined,
to eligible students, as defined, to overcome unforeseen financial
challenges, as specified, that would directly impact a student's
ability to persist in his or her course of study, if
emergency student financial assistance is included in an institution'
s plan for interventions to students. The bill would authorize no
more than 3% of the total funding that a community college district
or campus receives for the Student Success and Support Program to be
used for the provision of emergency student financial assistance.
study. The bill would authorize auxiliary
organizations to solicit and accept private funding, as specified,
for the purposes of this bill.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Given the need to improve community college student outcomes,
the Legislature required the California Community Colleges to develop
plans to improve student success through the Seymour-Campbell
Student Success Act of 2012 (Article 1 (commencing with Section
78210) of Chapter 2 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the
Education Code).
(b)
(a) Research indicates that students' ability to pay
for nontuition costs plays a major role in determining the outcomes
of their academic careers and impacts student success. Unexpected
financial emergencies can play a major role when community college
students drop out of school.
(c)
(b) Emergency aid is an effective strategy to retain
students and ultimately improve graduation rates and overall student
success. Emergency aid provides the flexibility needed to respond to
a student's unexpected financial emergency that may arise during the
academic year. Emergency aid is a critical tool for student retention
and persistence that is most effective as a part of a broader set of
student success efforts.
(d)
(c) It is in the interest of the state to reduce the
attrition rates of full-time students. Nationally, billions of
dollars are lost when full-time students do not return in what would
be their second year of college. California has lost more than one
hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) in state and federal funding
due to first-year attrition. Emergency aid is an efficient investment
that addresses student attrition while only providing small dollar
grants when a student is in crisis. With this type of well-timed aid,
students are more likely to complete the academic term and re-enroll
for the next term.
(e)
(d) A well-educated citizenry provides tremendous
benefits to the state as higher educational attainment is connected
with higher earnings, which produce more tax revenue and lower the
cost of social services.
SEC. 2. Section 78212 of the Education Code is
amended to read:
78212. (a) (1) For purposes of this article, "matriculation"
means a process that brings a college and a student into an agreement
for the purpose of achieving the student's educational goals and
completing the student's course of study. The agreement involves the
responsibilities of both parties to attain those objectives through
the college's established programs, policies, and requirements
including those established by the board of governors pursuant to
Section 78215.
(2) The institution's responsibility under the agreement includes
the provision of student services to provide a strong foundation and
support for their academic success and ability to achieve their
educational goals. The program of services funded through the
Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, which shall be known
and may be cited as the Student Success and Support Program, shall
include, but are not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(A) Orientation services designed to provide to students, on a
timely basis, information concerning campus procedures, academic
expectations, financial assistance, and any other matters the college
or district finds appropriate.
(B) Assessment before course registration, as defined in Section
78213.
(C) Counseling and other education planning services, which shall
include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:
(i) Counseling and advising.
(ii) Assistance to students in the exploration of educational and
career interests and aptitudes and identification of educational
objectives, including, but not necessarily limited to, preparation
for transfer, associate degrees, and career technical education
certificates and licenses.
(iii) The provision of information, guided by sound counseling
principles and practices, using a broad array of delivery mechanisms,
including technology-based strategies to serve a continuum of
student needs and abilities, that will enable students to make
informed choices.
(iv) Development of an education plan leading to a course of study
and guidance on course selection that is informed by, and related
to, a student's academic and career goals.
(D) Referral to specialized support services as needed and
available, including, but not necessarily limited to, federal, state,
and local financial assistance; health services; career services;
veteran support services; foster youth services; extended opportunity
programs and services provided pursuant to Article 8 (commencing
with Section 69640) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5; campus
child care services provided pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with
Section 66060) of Chapter 2 of Part 40 of Division 5; programs that
teach basic skills education and English as a second language; and
disabled student services provided pursuant to Chapter 14 (commencing
with Section 67300) of Part 40 of Division 5.
(E) Evaluation of each student's progress and referral to
appropriate interventions for students who are enrolled in basic
skills courses, who have not declared an educational goal as
required, or who are on academic probation, as defined by standards
adopted by the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges and community college districts.
(3) The student's responsibilities under the agreement include,
but are not necessarily limited to, the identification of an academic
and career goal upon application, the declaration of a specific
course of study after a specified time period or unit accumulation,
as defined by the board of governors, diligence in class attendance
and completion of assigned coursework, and the completion of courses
and maintenance of academic progress toward an educational goal and
course of study identified in the student's education plan. To ensure
that students are not unfairly impacted by the requirements of this
chapter, the board of governors shall establish a reasonable
implementation period that is phased in as resources are available to
provide nonexempt students with the core services pursuant to this
section.
(b) Funding for the Student Success and Support Program shall be
targeted to fully implement orientation, assessment, counseling and
advising, and other education planning services needed to assist a
student in making an informed decision about his or her educational
goal and course of study and in the development of an education plan.
(c) (1) Funding for the Student Success and Support Program may be
used for provision of emergency student financial assistance to help
eligible students to overcome unforeseen financial challenges that
would directly impact the student's ability to persist in his or her
course of study. These challenges include, but are not necessarily
limited to, the immediate need for shelter or food. Each community
college district and campus is encouraged to consider the unique
characteristics of its student body in developing specific guidelines
for further defining what constitutes an unforeseen financial
challenge for its students.
(2) In order for emergency student financial assistance to be an
allowable use of Student Success and Support Program funds, emergency
student financial assistance shall be included in the institution's
plan for interventions to students.
(3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms are
defined as follows:
(A) "Eligible student" means a student who has experienced an
unforeseen financial challenge, who currently meets satisfactory
academic progress of the institution he or she attends, and who is at
risk of not persisting in his or her course of study due to the
unforeseen financial challenge.
(B) "Emergency student financial assistance" means financial
support in the form of financial assistance to support a student to
help overcome unforeseen financial challenges so that the student can
continue his or her course of study.
(4) No more than 3 percent of the total funding that a community
college district or campus receives for the Student Success and
Support Program may be used for the provision of emergency student
financial assistance.
SEC. 2. Section 72670.7 is added to the
Education Code , to read:
72670.7. (a) An auxiliary organization established pursuant to
Section 72670.5 shall provide guidelines and resources for community
college districts or campuses that seek to establish student
emergency aid programs among the supportive services and specialized
programs it provides.
(b) Any funds that the auxiliary organization may receive may be
used for the provision of emergency student financial assistance to
help eligible students to overcome unforeseen financial challenges
that would directly impact the student's ability to persist in his or
her course of study. These challenges include, but are not
necessarily limited to, the immediate need for shelter or food. The
auxiliary organization shall encourage each community college
district and campus to which it provides supportive services or
specialized programs under this section to consider the unique
characteristics of its student body in developing specific guidelines
for further defining what constitutes an unforeseen financial
challenge for its students.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following terms are defined
as follows:
(1) "Eligible student" means a student who has experienced an
unforeseen financial challenge, who currently meets satisfactory
academic progress of the institution he or she attends, and who is at
risk of not persisting in his or her course of study due to the
unforeseen financial challenge.
(2) "Emergency student financial assistance" means financial
support in the form of financial assistance to support a student to
help overcome unforeseen financial challenges so that the student can
continue his or her course of study.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that priority for
emergency assistance funding be given to community college districts
or campuses based on their enrollment of student populations that are
in the most need.
(e) The auxiliary organization may solicit and accept private
funding for the purposes of this section. These private funding
sources may include, but are not necessarily limited to, foundations,
corporate funding, crowdfunding, donation drives, or any other
sources of private investment that may be available.