BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 423
          Author:   Brown (D), et al.
          Amended:  8/22/14 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
          PRIOR VOTES NOT RELEVANT


           SUBJECT  :    Student Tuition Recovery Fund:  claims

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill provides that a student who uses a Cal  
          Grant or a Pell Grant to pay tuition at a qualifying institution  
          is not thereby made ineligible to apply for payment from the  
          Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF).  This bill also provides  
          that, when the application of a student who uses a Cal Grant to  
          pay tuition at a qualifying institution for payment from the  
          STRF is granted, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education  
          (Bureau) pays that amount to the Student Aid Commission.  

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 8/22/14 delete prior version of the  
          bill and insert the current language.

           ANALYSIS :    Existing law, the California Private Postsecondary  
          Education Act of 2009, which is repealed on January 1, 2015,  
          provides for, among other things, student protections and  
          regulatory oversight of private postsecondary institutions in  
          the state.  The act is enforced by the Bureau in the Department  
          of Consumer Affairs.  The act requires the Bureau to adopt  
          regulations governing the administration and maintenance of the  
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          STRF, including requirements relating to assessments on students  
          and student claims against the STRF, a continuously appropriated  
          fund.

          This bill:

          1.Provides that a student who uses a Cal Grant or a Pell Grant  
            to pay tuition at a qualifying institution is not thereby made  
            ineligible to apply for payment from the STRF.

          2.Provides that, when the application of a student who uses a  
            Cal Grant to pay tuition at a qualifying institution for  
            payment from the STRF is granted, the Bureau pays that amount  
            to the Student Aid Commission.

          3.Becomes operative only if an act that becomes operative on or  
            before January 1, 2015, delays or eliminates the January 1,  
            2015, repeal date of the California Private Postsecondary  
            Education Act of 2009.

           Comments
           
          The STRF fund is more than able to sustain this proposed  
          expansion.  On March 18, 2014 the State Auditor reported that  
          the current STRF ending balanced for 2013-14 is over $33  
          million, which exceeds the $25 million ceiling set by statute.   
          Given current STRF fee assessments, the fund balance will  
          continue to grow by an average of 10% every year between now and  
          2019-20.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  Yes   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/26/14)

          Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles



          PQ:nl  8/26/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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