BILL ANALYSIS
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 969
Author: Liu (D) and Romero (D) et al
Amended: 8/17/10
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/21/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price, Simitian,
Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 9-0, 5/27/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Price, Wolk,
Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox, Walters
SENATE FLOOR : 26-7, 6/2/10
AYES: Alquist, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Denham,
DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Florez, Hancock, Harman, Huff,
Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Padilla, Pavley, Price,
Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Wolk,
Wright, Wyland
NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Calderon, Cox, Dutton,
Hollingsworth, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cedillo, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza,
Walters, Wiggins, Vacancy, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Public postsecondary education: mandatory
statewide
student fee
CONTINUED
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SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill establishes various findings,
declarations and policies regarding mandatory systemwide
undergraduate resident student fees.
Assembly Amendments (1) delete a provision that placed a
limit on fee increases to the percentage change in
California per capita personal income over the proceeding
fiscal year; (2) require the University of California (UC)
Regents and the California State University (CSU) Trustees
to specify the purposes for which any revenues derived from
an increase in fees will be used, (3) delete a provision
that required the California Postsecondary Education
Commission to review institutional compliance with the
policies and report to the Legislature and the Director of
the Department of Finance its findings and recommendations,
and instead, require the UC Regents and the CSU Trustees,
commencing with the 2011-12 academic year, to annually
provide the Legislative Analysts Office, prior to February
1, with estimates of the total of education categorized
specifically by per student undergraduate and graduate
education costs and to also report its findings to the
Legislature, (4) delete the definition of "per capita
income" from the bill, and (5) delete the 90 days
provision.
ANALYSIS : Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher
Education Act, provides for a public postsecondary
education system in this state. This system consists of
the UC, the CSU, and the California Community Colleges
(CCC). Existing law authorizes these institutions to
require that mandatory systemwide fees, among other fees,
be paid by students at these institutions. The provisions
of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the UC only to
the extent that the Regents of the UC act by resolution to
make them applicable.
This bill:
1. Establishes various findings, declarations and policies
regarding mandatory systemwide undergraduate resident
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student fees (fees).
2. Provides that an increase in fees adopted by UC or CSU
after July 1, 2011, shall not become effective before
three months after the date of adoption.
3. Requires UC Regents and CSU Trustees to adopt a rational
and transparent methodology for adjusting fees, requires
the methodologies to be developed in consultation with
student representatives, requires the methodologies to
be adopted in open public meetings, and provides that
annual budgets of UC and CSU shall be drafted on the
basis that fees will change in accordance with the
methodologies and shall specify the purposes for which
any revenues derived from an increase in fees will be
used.
4. Requires UC and CSU to employ appropriate procedures to
notify students of fees to be assessed in the upcoming
academic year and to simultaneously provide students
with information concerning the availability of and
procedures for obtaining financial aid.
5. Requires, beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year,
the UC Regents and CSU Trustees to annually report to
the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) estimates of the
total cost of education, categorized specifically by per
student undergraduate and graduate education costs and
by fixed costs, variable costs, administrative costs,
instructional costs, and student services costs.
6. Requires, beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year,
the LAO to report annually to the Legislature on
compliance with the policies required in this bill, any
findings and recommendations, and an assessment of the
information on cost of education as provided by UC and
CSU.
7. Establishes that the provisions of this bill only apply
to UC to the extent that the UC Regents adopt a
resolution making these provisions applicable and
requests that the UC Regents adopt policies consistent
with those outlined in this bill.
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8. Makes the provisions of this bill operative on July 1,
2011.
Related Legislation
SCA 26 (Denham), Session 2009-10, amends the State
Constitution and imposes upon the University of California
a waiting period of 180 days before mandatory student fees
could take effect, and limits annual fee increases to no
more than a cumulative 10 percent over the preceding
academic year. In Senate Education Committee.
SB 917 (Denham), Session 2009-10, similar to SCA 26,
however the application of the provisions in the bill would
affect the California State University. In Senate
Education Committee.
SB 1199 (Liu), Session 2009-10, requires the governing
boards of the UC and CSU to develop student fee increase
methodologies consistent with specified direction, and
includes many of the same concepts found in SB 969. In
Senate Education Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, any
costs to the segments and the LAO should be absorbable.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/26/10)
CSU Student Association
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/26/10)
California Federation of Teachers
California State University
University of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
faced with a state budget deficit and cuts in state support
for higher education CSU and UC students are being
subjected to significant, and for many, unaffordable,
increase in fees. According to the California
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Postsecondary Education Commission, fees grew from 21
percent to 32 percent of total costs at UC and from 9
percent to 22 percent of costs at CSU between 1975 and
2005. Rising costs have been particularly hard on lower-
and middle-income families.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The opponents state that this
bill could add costs for California's higher education
entities without benefiting students or their families.
They see little need to establish such a policy and reject
the notion that fees must rise in higher education.
PQ:do 8/27/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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