BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2093
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 17, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Marty Block, Chair
AB 2093 (Skinner) - As Introduced: February 23, 2012
SUBJECT : Foster Youth Higher Education Preparation and Support
Act of 2012.
SUMMARY : Establishes the Foster Youth Higher Education
Preparation and Support Act of 2012 to provide comprehensive
support to students at public postsecondary education campuses
who are current or former foster youth. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Requires the California State University (CSU) and requests
the California Community Colleges (CCC) and University of
California (UC) to establish foster youth campus support
programs to provide comprehensive support and outreach to
current and former foster youth in an effort to retain foster
youth in higher education.
2)Requests CCC, CSU, and UC campuses designate a foster youth
campus support program coordinator using new or existing
resources.
3)Requires the State Department of Social Services to annually
notify foster youth 13 years of age and older, and those
foster youths' caregivers, of the postsecondary educational
support provided pursuant to this bill.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Grants priority enrollment for registration to any foster
youth or former foster youth at CCC, CSU, and UC, should UC
choose to comply. (Education Code � 66025.9)
2)Exempts foster youth from uniform residency requirements. (EC
� 68085)
3)Grants foster youth priority for year-round student housing.
(EC � 76010, 90001.5, 92660)
4)States legislative intent that UC, CSU and CCC disseminate
information to foster care agencies regarding admissions
AB 2093
Page 2
requirements and financial aid, and requests UC and CSU
explore methods of using the admissions-by-exemption category
to assist the transition of student in foster care into
four-year public institutions of higher education. (EC �
66019.3)
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill was approved by the Assembly Human
Services Committee on April 10, 2012, by a vote of 4-2, where
provisions pertaining to the State Department of Social Services
were considered.
Need for this bill . According to the author, "Foster care
students who transition from high school to college campuses
have needs that differ from those of their non-foster peers.
Student services personnel at most post-secondary institutions
are unfamiliar with or unprepared to address the unique needs of
this population."
Foster youth and higher education . In 2011, there were between
600 and 800 former foster youth attending UC, 1,200 attending
CSU, and 6,500 attending CCC. According to a December 2005
report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy entitled,
"Higher Education Opportunities for Foster Youth," of the foster
youth who complete high school and are college-qualified, only
about 20% enrolled in higher education compared to about 60% of
their peers. The report cites numerous factors that negatively
affect degree completion by foster youth, namely lack of
maturity and adult skills, dearth of information, poverty, no
family support or home base, and inadequate financial aid,
student services, and counseling. Recommendations to improve
higher education attainment of foster youth include to raise
expectations and pre-collegiate training in the K-12 system to
overcome the psychological, social, and bureaucratic obstacles
to higher education opportunities; increase funding for
financial aid, counseling, and student services in the secondary
and postsecondary systems; and simplify and consolidate
scattered programs and procedures that complicate the process of
obtaining benefits and education (American Youth Policy Forum).
Existing educational resources in higher education .
1)CCC Tuition Assistance. The CCCs provide virtually free
AB 2093
Page 3
tuition to former foster youth.
2)CCCs Foster Youth Success Initiative. Assists foster youth by
connecting students with support services and financial aid to
achieve educational goals.
3)Chafee Educational and Training Vouchers Program. This
program offers up to $5,000 per year to former foster youth
under age 22 for post- secondary training.
4)Guardian Scholars Programs. Available on many CCC and CSU
campuses, these programs offer housing, tuition, and academic
support to former foster youth.
5)Other Campus-Specific Supports. Some state college campuses
have designed local programs to support former foster youth
with comprehensive support services from ensuring admission
and retention to academic and personal counseling.
Comprehensive services are not defined . This bill calls on the
segments to offer comprehensive support and outreach to foster
youth but does not define this term. It is Committee staff's
understanding that the author is working with stakeholders on a
definition to provide more definitive guidance to the segments.
Prior legislation . AB 194, Beall, Chapter 458, Statutes of
2011, granted priority enrollment for registration to current
and former foster youth. AB 1393, Skinner, Chapter 391,
Statutes of 2009, granted current and former foster youth
priority for year-round campus housing. AB 1578 (Leno, 2007),
which was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee, would
have enacted the Foster Youth Higher Education Preparation and
Support Act of 2007. AB 1532 (Bass, 2006), which was held in
the Senate Appropriations Committee, would have exempted foster
youth from all deadlines pertaining to the Cal Grant Entitlement
Programs. AB 2489 (Leno, 2006), which was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee, would have provided first-year tuition
and fee assistance to all Cal Grant B students who are current
or were former foster youth, assistance with campus-based fees
in UC and CSU, and campus housing priority for current and
former foster youth in UC and CSU.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
AB 2093
Page 4
Support
Omar Murillo, Individual
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960