BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1997|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1997
Author: Portantino (D)
Amended: 6/30/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/23/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Emmerson, Liu, Price,
Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hancock, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-0, 8/12/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,
Price, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 5/10/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Community colleges: student financial aid:
pilot program
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Community
College Chancellors Office to establish a voluntary pilot
program to increase student participation in state and
federal financial aid programs, outlines the parameters of
the pilot, and requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to
report to the Legislature on the results of the pilot
program and to make recommendations for its statewide
expansion.
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ANALYSIS : Current law provides for a variety of student
financial aid programs including the Cal Grant programs and
the Community College Board of Governors (BOG) Fee Waiver
Program. Current law requires that eligibility for a Cal
Grant and the determination of financial need be
accomplished using the federal financial need methodology
and application (the Federal Application for Student
Assistance, or FAFSA), and that this application be used
for all programs funded by the state or a public
institution of post-secondary education as well as all
federal programs administered b y a postsecondary
educational institution. Current law makes an exception to
this requirement for the BOG Fee Waiver Program which is
authorized to use a simplified application designed for
that sole purpose.
Current law requires the California Community College
Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to develop a statement that
individual students will be asked to sign, which
acknowledges that federal and state funds are available to
assist with the costs of college and that information
regarding these programs, and assistance in applying for
those funds can be obtained at the financial aid office.
The Chancellor is required to request the colleges to
require students to sign this acknowledgement in the
application for enrollment at all campuses of the
California Community Colleges.
Current law also requires the CCCCO to develop a statement
to individual students receiving the BOG Fee Waiver, who
did not apply for federal student aid, informing them about
the benefits of the federal programs, the application
process, and the availability of assistance to apply and to
request colleges to provide this statement to all students
who meet this description.
This bill:
1.Requires the CCCCO to establish a voluntary pilot program
to increase student participation in state and federal
financial aid programs. More specifically, it:
A. Requires the Chancellor to select no more than 10
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campuses from those that volunteer to participate.
B. Requires, to the extent possible, that the
geographic, economic and demographic diversity of
participating campuses be ensured.
C. Establishes the following two target populations
of potentially eligible students to be identified for
participation in the pilot program:
(1) Those who complete an application for either
a BOG fee waiver but do not complete a FAFSA.
(2) Those who do not receive any campus, state,
or federal aid.
D. Establishes the goal of the pilot program to
increase student participation in both state and
federal financial aid programs by actions that
include, but are mot limited to:
(1) Identifying strategies and best practices
for increasing the number of students who submit
the FAFSA.
(2) Examining and developing strategies for
increasing student participation in financial aid
programs beyond the BOG Fee Waiver Program.
2.Encourages the CCCCO to pursue both private and federal
funding to support implementation and operation of the
pilot program.
3.Requires the CCCO to provide information on the
strategies and techniques employed by participating
campuses and data on student participation in state and
federal financial aid programs to the Legislative
Analyst's Office (LAO) by January 10, 2013.
4.Requires the LAO, based upon the information received,
to:
A. Report to the Legislature on the results of the
pilot program.
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B. Make recommendations for statewide expansion of
the pilot.
C. Include in its report a statistical analysis of
financial aid applications and awards before and
after the pilot and a summary of the major strategies
and techniques employed by participating campuses.
5.Repeals these provisions as of January 1, 2014.
Comments
Several recent reports have highlighted the fact that CCC
students are not receiving all of the federal financial aid
support that is available to them. A research brief issued
by MPR Associates, Inc. in October 2009 (and based upon
2006-07 enrollment data) noted that fewer than 230,000
(about 10 percent) of degree seeking students at the CCC
received federal Pell Grants. The most common from of
financial aid was a BOG fee waiver, given to 540,000
students (26 percent of enrolled students). About 305,000
of these students received only a fee waiver and of those,
110,000 applied for federal aid but did not receive it with
the most common reasons for not qualifying being (1) they
were part-time, (2) their income or expected family
contribution was too high, or (3) they did not meet
citizenship, academic, or other requirements for federal
financial aid.
This bill attempts to gather specific information on the
reasons and strategies specific to California's students
and community colleges to determine why California
community college students do not submit the FAFSA in
greater numbers and to identify intervention strategies to
increase their participation in state and federal financial
aid programs.
What is the Pell Grant Program ? The federal Pell Grant
program provides need-based grants to low-income
undergraduates (and certain post baccalaureate students) to
promote access to postsecondary education. Grant amounts
are dependent on (1) the student's expected family
contribution, (2) the cost of attendance (as determined by
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the institution), (3) the student's enrollment status
(full-time or part-time), and (4) whether the student
attends for a full academic year or less. Financial need
is determined using a standard formula based on information
reported by the applicant on the FAFSA. Students must file
a FAFSA in order to receive a Pell Grant. For 2010-11, the
maximum amount for a Pell Grant will be $5,550 but the
actual amount of a Pell Grant will vary from student to
student depending on their specific circumstances.
Why a pilot program ? Much of the information being
disseminated on potential Pell Grant participation at the
California Community Colleges and projections regarding the
amount of potential Pell Grant dollars "left on the table"
derive from assumptions based upon national, rather than
California-specific information and data. A pilot program
would allow for closer examination of the unique student
population served by the California Community Colleges in
order to identify best practices for ensuring the colleges'
commitment to access while maximizing the potential for
California students to benefit from federal financial aid
programs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-12 Fund
Cal Grant B
$440 $440 General
Administration $60 to
$80 General
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/16/10)
Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges
California Student Aid Commission
San Bernardino Community College District
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Silicon Valley Leadership Group
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto,
Davis, De Leon, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,
Salas, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Audra Strickland, Swanson,
Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: De La Torre, DeVore, Harkey, Mendoza,
Norby, Saldana, Solorio, Torlakson, Vacancy
CPM:cm 8/16/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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