BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 620
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 620 (Block)
As Amended May 27, 2011
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 6-2 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Block, Brownley, Fong, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Galgiani, Lara, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Portantino | |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| | | |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Solorio |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Donnelly, Miller |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, |
| | | |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner |
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SUMMARY : Requires the state's public postsecondary
institutions to collect demographic data on lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) faculty, staff, and students;
designate a point person for LGBT issues at each campus; and to
adopt and publish policies on harassment and bullying; and
encourages CPEC to make recommendations to improve the quality
of life of LGBT faculty, staff, and students. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Requires the governing boards of the California State
University (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC),
and requests the Regents of the University of California (UC),
in collecting demographic data to allow faculty, staff, and
students to identify their sexual orientation, gender
identify, and gender expression. Requires the three segments
to share this information, without any individual identifying
information, with the California Postsecondary Education
Committee (CPEC) if release of the information is so
authorized from individuals who have provided the information.
2)Requires the CSU and CCC district governing boards, and
requests the UC Regents to:
a) Designate an employee at each of their respective
campuses as a point of contact to address the needs of LGBT
faculty, staff, and students, and, at a minimum, provide
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contact information of the designee on the website and in
printed and online campus directories.
b) Adopt policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying
to be included in rules and regulations governing student
behavior and to publish those policies on the Internet Web
sites and as part of any printed material covering rules
and regulations governing student behavior at all campuses
within their respective jurisdictions.
3)Encourages CPEC to assess the three segments with respect to
the quality of life for LGBT persons at their campuses, make
corresponding recommendations to the segments, and publish the
a summary of the recommendations on its Internet Web site.
4)Adds the attributes of sexual orientation, gender identity,
and gender expression to the existing definition of "hate
violence" for purposes of reporting incidences of hate
violence on campuses, and to existing provisions prohibiting
discrimination in the awarding of Cal Grants, in state
administration of federal student loan programs, and in the
hiring of community college faculty.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)UC, CSU, and CCC would incur the following one-time
programming costs to modify databases in order to collect
expanded demographic data: UC-$30,000; CSU-$100,000;
CCC-$360,000 ($5,000 per district). Other costs, including
designating a person on each campus as a contact for LGBT
staff, faculty, and students, should be absorbable.
2)Costs for CPEC's assessment, should it choose to undertake
this task, would be absorbable.
COMMENTS : This bill includes recommendations from the June 2009
CPEC report, "Access and Equity for all Students: Meeting the
Needs of LGBT Students," which outlines policy recommendations
supported by research and by individual working in advocacy for
LGBT students in higher education. According to the report,
LGBT students face many challenges that require additional
campus services and resources for them to be successful in
college. Compared to heterosexual students, LGBT students face
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higher rates of mental health problems, sexual health risks,
substance abuse, and family issues leading to negative health
outcomes. CPEC also identified the lack of data and limitations
as a significant issue in serving LGBT students because, without
consistent longitudinal data, it is difficult to track and
assess LGBT student persistence and degree completion.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0000904