BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    






                         SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                              Gloria Romero, Chair
                           2009-2010 Regular Session
                                        

          BILL NO:       SB 645
          AUTHOR:        Denham
          AMENDED:       April 2, 2009
          FISCAL COMM:   No             HEARING DATE:  April 22, 2009
          URGENCY:       No             CONSULTANT:Nancy Anton

           SUBJECT  :  United States Armed Forces and Higher Education
          
           SUMMARY  

          This bill declares that nothing in California law prohibits  
          the University of California (UC) or the California State  
          University (CSU) from coordinating with the United State  
          Armed Forces to establish training programs at military  
          facilities.

           BACKGROUND  

          Under current law both UC and the CSU have a number of  
          collaborative programs with a variety of external partners  
          including, but not limited to each other, community  
          colleges, independent colleges, private entities and local,  
          state and federal governments. 

           ANALYSIS
           
           This bill  declares that nothing in the law of the State of  
          California prohibits UC or CSU from coordinating with the  
          United States Armed Forces (USAF) to establish training  
          programs at military facilities.

           STAFF COMMENTS  

           1)   Author's Intent  .  Information from the author's office  
               indicates that the intent of this bill is to maximize  
               the use of closed and/or underused medical facilities  
               located on US military bases by establishing  
               cooperative agreements with California's public higher  
               education institutions (UC, CSU and the community  
               colleges) for those institutions to provide medical  
               and allied health education and/or direct clinical  




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               services.  As such, staff recommends that the bill be  
               amended to state affirmatively its' intent.

           2)   David Grant USAF Medical Center  .  Staff is advised  
               that the Travis Air Force Base, in Solano County, has  
               the capacity to expand it's direct clinical services  
               and make its facility available for medical education  
               purposes (e.g. nursing, allied health, clinical  
               rotations, etc.)  In addition, March AFB in Riverside  
               County has similar capacity.  Apparently, initial 








































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               efforts to accomplish these goals have been hampered  
               by the perception that state law does not allow such  
               collaborative relationships.  The intent of this bill  
               is to foster and encourage such mutually beneficial  
               relationships.

           SUPPORT  

          None received.

           OPPOSITION

           None received.