BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2297
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2297 (Brownley)
As Amended July 1, 2010
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |68-8 |(May 3, 2010) |SENATE: |30-1 |(August 18, 2010) |
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Original Committee Reference: HIGHER ED.
SUMMARY : Allows the governing board of a California Community College
(CCC) to use an alternative method for calculating nonresident fee
amounts that would allow nonresident fees to be set at an amount
comparable to that of other states.
The Senate amendments :
1)Provide that additional revenue generated by the increase in
nonresident tuition shall be used to expand and enhance services to
resident students and that the admission of nonresident students
shall not come at the expense of resident enrollment.
2)Require the CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to make available to the
Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) specified data regarding
nonresident student attendance and tuition rates.
3)Require the LAO to include, in the annual Governor's budget analysis,
a summary of the data made available to the LAO by the CCCCO as well
as an analysis of the degree to which CCCs have complied with the
aforementioned requirements.
EXISTING LAW requires CCC district governing boards to adopt
nonresident student fees, with exceptions. Establishes a number of
requirements for CCC districts nonresident student fees amounts
including that nonresident fee increases be gradual, moderate, and
predictable and that one of four outlined calculation methods be used
in establishing nonresident fee amounts.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill allowed the governing board of a
California Community College (CCC) to use an alternative method for
calculating nonresident fee amounts that would allow nonresident fees
to be set at an amount comparable to that of other states.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, use
of the alternative methodology provided in this bill would allow CCC
AB 2297
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districts considerable flexibility to increase nonresident fees and
could result in additional fee revenues in the tens of millions of
dollars to CCC districts.
COMMENTS : Public colleges and universities throughout the country have
additional charges for out-of-state students as a way to ensure
residents do not assume the financial burden of educating students
whose presence in the state is not intended to be permanent and who did
not pay taxes to support the public higher education systems. In
2009-10, the statewide average CCC nonresident fee was $190 per
semester unit. According to data published by the Missouri Economic
Research & Information Center and the Washington Higher Education
Coordinating Board, community college nonresident student tuition and
fees in the 12 states most comparable to California in cost-of-living
averages about $310 per credit. According to the author, this bill
would give CCCs greater authority to charge nonresidents a fee that
could be used to increase the quality of education.
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-
3960FN: 0005395