BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Jack Scott, Chair
2007-2008 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1980
AUTHOR: Swanson
AMENDED: March 24, 2008
FISCAL COMM: No HEARING DATE: June 11, 2008
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Nancy Anton
SUBJECT : Peralta Community College District:
transportation fees.
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the Peralta Community College District
(CCD) to charge a fee to students or to students and
employees in order to fund transportation services if
specified requirements are met. This authority is
currently provided only to the Los Rios and Rio Hondo CCDs.
The bill also expands the terms by which the Los Rios and
Rio Hondo CCDs may charge transportation fees (and extends
these terms to Peralta, as well.)
BACKGROUND
Although CCDs are generally prohibited from charging
transportation fees, current law authorizes the Los Rios
and the Rio Hondo CCDs to require a fee for transportation
services of students and employees who use the service.
Current law also authorizes the Los Rios and Rio Hondo CCDs
upon a majority vote of (a) students and employees or (b)
only students, to require students and/or employees at a
campus to pay a fee for a period not to exceed 10 years to
partially or fully recover transportation costs incurred by
the district for reducing student and/or employee fares for
services provided by common carriers or municipally owned
transit systems. Such fees for part-time students are
required to be of a pro rata lesser amount. Low-income
students may be exempt from this fee or be required to pay
all or part of the fee.
ANALYSIS
AB 1980
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This bill:
1) Expands slightly the authorization currently provided
to the Los Rios and Rio Hondo community college
districts to charge specified transportation fees to
students or students and employees. Specifically, the
bill expands
AB 1980
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this authorization to allow the districts to limit the
transportation fee and corresponding transportation
benefits to students taking at least a prescribed
minimum number of course credits.
2) Includes the Peralta CCD in the "transportation fee"
authorization provided under current law to the Los
Rios and Rio Hondo community college districts (and as
proposed to be amended in #1 above).
STAFF COMMENTS
1) What's the problem ? Current law authorizes only the
Los Rios and the Rio Hondo community college districts
to charge their students/employees transportation
fees. The Peralta CCD has been having positive
discussions with local transit authorities about
offering discount mass transit passes to its
students/employees (as is currently done in both the
Los Rios and Rio Hondo districts) but is unable to so
do without specific statutory authorization which this
bill provides.
In addition, there is some concern that in districts which
offer discounted mass transit passes students might
enroll in as little as a one unit course simply to
obtain the discounted transit pass. This bill
modifies the existing transit fee authorization to
allow CCDs to charge the fees (and, correspondingly,
provide the passes) only to students who are enrolled
in at least a minimum number of course credits.
2) About the Peralta CCD. The Peralta CCD, the sponsor
of this legislation, is located in Alameda County and
enrolls a total of about 30,000 students at the
following four colleges: College of Alameda, Laney
College (in Oakland), Merritt College (in Oakland) and
Vista College (in Berkeley.)
SUPPORT
Peralta Community College District
OPPOSITION
None received.
AB 1980
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