Amended in Senate August 3, 2016

Amended in Senate August 2, 2016

Amended in Assembly May 31, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 17, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2822

Introduced by Assembly Member Chiu

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Medina, Santiago, Weber, and Williams)

February 19, 2016

An act to add Section begin delete 72670.7 end delete begin insert 76072 end insert to the Education Code, relating to student financial aid.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2822, as amended, Chiu. Student financial aid: community college begin delete auxiliary organizations: end delete begin insert students: end insert emergency begin delete student end delete 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 authorizes 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 begin delete auxiliary organization end delete begin insert private end insert funds begin insert from a community college district, community college campus, or local community college foundation end insert 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. The bill would authorize begin delete auxiliary organizations end delete begin insert a community college district, community college campus, or local community college foundation end insert 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) 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.

(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.

(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.

(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 begin delete 72670.7 end delete begin insert 76072 end insert is added to the Education Code,
to read:

begin delete

72670.7.  

(a) An auxiliary organization established pursuant
to Section 72670.5

end delete

begin insert

begin insert 76072. end insert   

end insert

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The CCC Chancellor’s Office end insert shall provide
guidelines begin delete and resources end delete 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 begin insert private end insert funds that begin delete the auxiliary organization end delete begin insert a
community college district, community college campus, or local
community college foundation end insert 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. begin delete The auxiliary
organization end delete begin insert A community college district, community college
campus, or local community college foundation end insert shall begin delete encourage
each community college district and campus to which it provides
supportive services or specialized programs under this section to end delete
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 begin delete for emergency
assistance funding end delete be given to begin delete community college districts or
campuses based on their enrollment of end delete student populations that
are in the most need.

(e)  begin delete The auxiliary organization end delete begin insert A community college district,
community college campus, or local community college foundation end insert begin insert end insert
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.