AB 1364, as amended, Ting. Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program.
Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Programbegin delete (Cal Grant Program)end delete, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlementbegin delete Awards,end deletebegin insert awards,end insert the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlementbegin delete Awards,end deletebegin insert awards,end insert the Competitive Cal Grant A and Bbegin delete Awards,end deletebegin insert
awards,end insert the Cal Grant Cbegin delete Awards,end deletebegin insert awards,end insert and the Cal Grant Tbegin delete Awardsend deletebegin insert awardsend insert under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements and maximum levels for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law requires that a Cal Grant B award for access costs, as defined, is not to exceed $1,551 annually. Existing law provides that this amount may be adjusted in the annual Budget Act.
This billbegin insert,
commencing with the 2014-15 academic year,end insert
would require that thebegin delete minimum amount of theend delete Cal Grant B access award be no less than $5,900,begin delete as annually adjusted, commencing with the 2014-15 academic year,end deletebegin insert unless that amount exceeds the amount of the student’s calculated financial need, as specified. The bill would require the award for access costsend insert to include the percentage increase, if any, in the California Consumer Price Index, as specified. In the event of a decrease in the California Consumer Price Index, no adjustment would be made to the minimum Cal Grant B access award under this bill. The bill would delete the provision authorizing the adjustment of this amount in the annual Budget Act.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 69435 of the Education Code is amended
2to read:
(a) (1) A Cal Grant B award shall be used only for
4tuition, student fees, and access costs in a for-credit instructional
5program that is not less than one academic year in length.
6(2) The commission, or a qualifying institution pursuant to
7Article 8 (commencing with Section 69450), shall award access
8grants in a student’s first academic year. In subsequent years, the
9award shall include an additional amount to pay tuition or fees, or
10both, to attend college at a public or private four-year college or
11university or other qualifying institution for all Cal Grant B awards
12pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 66021.2.
13In no event shall the total award in any
year exceed the applicant’s
14calculated financial need.
15(3) Not more than 2 percent of new Cal Grant B recipients
16enrolling for the first time in an institution of postsecondary
17education shall be eligible for payments for tuition or fees, or both,
18in their first academic year of attendance. The commission shall
19adopt regulations specifying the criteria used to determine which
20applicants, if any, receive both tuition and fees plus the access
21grant in the first year of enrollment. Priority shall be given to
22students with the lowest expected family contribution pursuant to
23Section 69432.7 and the highest level of academic merit.
24(b) Commencing with the 2014-15 academic year:
end insert25(b)
end delete
26begin insert(1)end insert An award for access costs under this article shall be in an
27annual amount no less than five thousand nine hundred dollars
28($5,900),begin delete as annually adjusted, commencing with the 2014-15 begin insert unless the award would exceed the
P3 1academic year, to includeend delete
2amount of the student’s calculated financial need, in which case
3the award amount shall equal the amount of the student’s
4calculated financial need.end insert
5begin insert(2)end insertbegin insert end insertbegin insertThe award for access costs shall includeend insert the percentage
6increase, if any, in the California Consumer Price Index as
7calculated by the Department of Industrial Relations. In the event
8that the California Consumer Price Index decreases in any year,
9no adjustment to the minimumbegin delete allowableend delete award amount will be
10made pursuant to this subdivision.
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