BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2093
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 9, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2093 (Skinner) - As Amended: May 1, 2012
Policy Committee: Higher
EducationVote:9 - 0
Human Services 4 - 2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California State University (CSU), and
requests that 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. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires CSU campuses, and requests that CCC and UC campuses,
provide comprehensive support and outreach services for foster
youth that include:
a) Financial aid counseling.
b) Academic outreach.
c) Transition concerns.
d) Referrals to learning support services.
e) Career counseling.
f) Ensuring year-round housing.
g) Ensuring priority registration.
2)Requires CSU campuses and requests the CCC and UC campuses, to
provide comprehensive support and outreach services to
designate a foster youth campus support program coordinator.
3)Requires the Department of Social Services to annually notify
foster youth 13 years and older that postsecondary educational
support is available for them.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Currently, eight CSU campuses do not have a guardian scholars
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program as is required by this bill. Establishing those
programs at those campuses would cost between $1.2 million and
$1.6 million per year (GF).
2)Fifteen CSU campuses operate guardian scholar programs. By
creating this requirement, those campuses could no longer
shift those resources to other programs, should the need
arise. Therefore, maintaining those programs in perpetuity
would cost between $2.3 million and $3 million per year (GF).
3)Costs for UC to provide a coordinator to administer these
services to foster youth would be approximately $850,000. The
UCs report that they generally comply with the provisions of
the bill. However, placing the request into statute could
result in cost pressure should the UCs decide in the future to
shift resources elsewhere away from a guardian scholar
program.
4)There are 112 community colleges, should all of those colleges
comply with the request that they hire a foster youth campus
support program coordinator, GF costs would likely be in the
range of $10 million per year.
5)Minor and absorbable costs for DSS to include the required
information in their annual notifications.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . Existing law establishes the Higher Education
Outreach and Assistance Act for Emancipated Foster Youth. The
intent of that act is to conduct outreach services to foster
youth to encourage their enrollment in a state university or a
community college, and to provide technical assistance to
foster youth to assist those prospective students in
completing admission applications and financial aid
applications. It does not, however, address the need to
provide foster youth with support services once they are
admitted to a public college or university. The intent of this
legislation is to ensure that public colleges and universities
in California do provide foster youth with supportive
services.
2)Guardian Scholar Programs . A number of California's colleges
have established guardian scholar programs on their campuses.
These programs are designed to assist foster youth as they
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transition from foster care to life as a college student. The
programs generally provide a network of resources to students
emancipating from the foster care system to facilitate their
successful pursuit of higher education
3)Related Legislation . In 1996, AB 2463 (Caldera) Chapter 1126,
Statutes of 1996 established the Higher Education Outreach and
Assistance Act for Emancipated Foster Youth. That bill
required CSU and CCCs to expand and evaluate access and
retention programs for foster youth. In addition, it required
the Student Aid Commission to provide outreach and technical
assistance to foster youth. Finally, it declared Legislative
intent that the University of California and private colleges
undertake similar efforts.
AB 194 (Beall), Chapter 458, Statutes of 2011 gives current
and former foster youth priority enrollment in classes and
public colleges and universities.
AB 1393 (Skinner), Chapter 391, Statutes of 2009 gives
priority in public university campus housing to current and
former foster youth.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081