Amended in Senate June 2, 2015

Amended in Senate May 13, 2015

Senate Bill No. 134

Introduced by Senator Hertzberg

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Alejo)

(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Jackson, Leno, Pavley, and Wieckowski)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Cristina Garcia, Santiago, and Steinorth)

January 22, 2015

An act to amend begin delete Section 69741.5 of the Education Code, and to amend end delete Section 6032 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to attorneys.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 134, as amended, Hertzberg. State Bar of California: voluntary fee collection: loan repayment program.

Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. Existing law authorizes the State Bar to collect annual membership dues and voluntary fees, as specified. Existing law creates the Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment Program, which is administered by the Student Aid Commission, to provide loan repayment assistance for licensed attorneys who practice or agree to practice in public interest areas of the law in California. begin delete Existing law limits the warrants that the commission may award for the assumption of loans pursuant to that program to the number authorized in the annual Budget Act for the applicable fiscal year. end delete

This bill would expressly authorize the State Bar to collect voluntary fees on behalf of, and for the purpose of funding, the Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment Program. begin delete The bill would repeal the limit on the number of warrants the commission may issue, as described above. end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 69741.5 of the Education Code is
amended to read:

69741.5.  

Participants in this program are eligible for a
maximum of eleven thousand dollars ($11,000) in loan assistance
for four years, as follows:

(a) For the first year, two thousand dollars ($2,000) in loan
repayment assistance.

(b) For the second, third, and fourth years, three thousand dollars
($3,000) in loan repayment assistance for each year.

end delete

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete
begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

Section 6032 of the Business and Professions
Code is amended to read:

6032.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
State Bar is expressly authorized to collect, in conjunction with
the State Bar’s collection of its annual membership dues, voluntary
fees on behalf of, and for the purpose of funding, the California
Supreme Court Historical Society, which advances the science of
jurisprudence by preserving and disseminating to the general public
the history of the Supreme Court and the judicial branch.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the State Bar is expressly
authorized to collect, in conjunction with the State Bar’s collection
of its annual membership dues, voluntary fees on behalf of, and
for the purpose of begin delete funding, end delete begin insert funding, both the administration and
provision of loan assistance for, end insert the Public Interest Attorney Loan
Repayment Program (Article 12 (commencing with Section 69740)
of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education
Code), which provides loan assistance to licensed attorneys who
practice or agree to practice in public interest areas of the law in
this state.