BILL NUMBER: SB 15 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senators Block, De León, and Liu
(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Beall, Hancock, Hill, Hueso, Lara,
Leno, Mitchell, Wieckowski, and Wolk)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Medina)
DECEMBER 1, 2014
An act to amend Sections 69432 and 69437 of, and to add Article 23
(commencing with Section 70030) to Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division
5 of Title 3 of, the Education Code, relating to postsecondary
education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 15, as introduced, Block. Postsecondary education: financial
aid.
The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B
Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer
Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal
Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration
of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility
requirements for awards under these programs for participating
students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law establishes
the total number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted
annually at 22,500 and the maximum tuition award amount for each Cal
Grant A and B award for new students attending private nonprofit
postsecondary educational institution at $9,084 for the 2014-15 award
year and $8,056 for the 2015-16 award year and each award year
thereafter.
This bill would increase the total number of Competitive Cal Grant
A and B awards granted annually to 30,000 and would increase the
maximum tuition award amount for Cal Grant A and B for students at
private nonprofit postsecondary schools to $9,084 for the 2015-16
award year and each award year thereafter.
This bill would establish, commencing with the 2015-16 academic
year, the Competitive Incentive Grant Award to provide students with
financial need attending a campus of the California State University
with additional financial aid over a 3-year period, as specified.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, in
2025, 41 percent of jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree.
However, if current trends persists, only 35 percent of working-age
California adults will have a bachelor's degree by 2025. Without more
students entering and completing a college degree, California will
not meet workforce demands.
(2) According to the Public Policy Institute of California,
in-state full tuition at the University of California and the
California State University has risen more dramatically than at other
public universities in other states over the past decade. From 2004
to 2103, the average tuition at the University of California and the
California State University has more than doubled. California must
make college more affordable and accessible for all of its students.
(3) According to the Campaign for College Opportunity, an
individual between 25 and 64 years of age who completes at least a
bachelor of arts degree can anticipate earning an additional one
million three hundred thousand dollars ($1,300,000) in wages and
salary.
(4) According to the State Education Executive Officers, enrolling
in 15 credit hours per term is the number one predictor of student
success.
(5) According to the Campaign for College Opportunity, if a
California State University student enrolls in less than 15 credits
per semester or takes time off, he or she will take longer than the
expected four years to earn a bachelor's degree that requires 120
credits.
(6) According to the Campaign for College Opportunity, the
increased cost of tuition to attend a California State University may
have caused more students to work, or work more hours, to pay for
school. Research has demonstrated that working behavior is a
significant contributor to delayed time to earning a degree.
Essentially, students are forced to choose between either working to
earn money or taking additional courses to progress in earning their
degree.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature, in the 2015-16 fiscal
year, to appropriate funds to the Regents of the University of
California for the following purposes:
(1) Eliminate the five-percent tuition increase adopted by the
Regents of the University of California in November 2014.
(2) Provide additional course offerings for students to complete a
bachelor's degree in four years or less.
(3) Provide support services to students to aid them in completing
a bachelor's degree in four years of less.
SEC. 2. Section 69432 of the Education Code is amended to read:
69432. (a) Cal Grant Program awards shall be known as "Cal Grant
A Entitlement Awards," "Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards," "California
Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards," "Competitive Cal
Grant A and B Awards," "Cal Grant C Awards," and "Cal Grant T Awards."
(b) Maximum award amounts for students at independent institutions
and for Cal Grant C and T awards shall be identified in the annual
Budget Act. Maximum award amounts for Cal Grant A and B awards for
students attending public institutions shall be referenced in the
annual Budget Act.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), and subdivision (c) of
Section 66021.2, commencing with the 2013-14 award year, the maximum
tuition award amounts for Cal Grant A and B awards for students
attending private for-profit and nonprofit postsecondary educational
institutions shall be as follows:
(A) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for new recipients attending
private for-profit postsecondary educational institutions.
(B) For the 2014-15 award year, nine Nine
thousand eighty-four dollars ($9,084) for new recipients
attending private nonprofit postsecondary educational institutions.
For the 2015-16 award year and each award year thereafter,
eight thousand fifty-six dollars ($8,056) for new recipients
attending private nonprofit postsecondary educational institutions.
(2) The renewal award amount for a student whose initial award is
subject to a maximum award amount specified in this subdivision shall
be calculated pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of
Section 69433.
(3) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), new
recipients attending private for-profit postsecondary educational
institutions that are accredited by the Western Association of
Schools and Colleges as of July 1, 2012, shall have the same maximum
tuition award amounts as are set forth in subparagraph (B) of
paragraph (1).
SEC. 3. Section 69437 of the Education Code is amended to read:
69437. (a) Commencing with the 2001-02 academic year, and each
academic year thereafter, there shall be established the Competitive
Cal Grant A and B award program for students who did not receive a
Cal Grant A or B entitlement award pursuant to Article 2 (commencing
with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or
Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436). Awards made under this
section are not entitlements. The submission of an application by a
student under this section shall not entitle that student to an
award. The selection of students under this article shall be
determined pursuant to subdivision (c) and other relevant criteria
established by the commission.
(b) A total of 22,500 30,000 Cal
Grant A and B awards shall be granted annually under this article on
a competitive basis for applicants who meet the general eligibility
criteria established in Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) and
the priorities established by the commission pursuant to subdivision
(c).
(1) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are
available to all students, including California community college
students, who meet the financial need and academic requirements
established pursuant to this article. A student enrolling at a
qualifying baccalaureate degree granting institution shall apply by
the March 2 deadline. A California community college student is
eligible to apply at the March 2 or the September 2 deadline.
(2) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are
reserved for students who will be enrolled at a California community
college. The commission shall establish a second application
deadline of September 2 for community college students to apply for
these awards effective with the fall term or semester of the 2001-02
academic year.
(3) If any awards are not distributed pursuant to paragraphs (1)
and (2) upon initial allocation of the awards under this article, the
commission shall make awards to as many eligible students as
possible, beginning with the students with the lowest expected family
contribution and highest academic merit, consistent with the
criteria adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c), as
practicable without exceeding an annual cumulative total of
22,500 30,000 awards.
(c) (1) On or before February 1, 2001, acting pursuant to a public
hearing process that is consistent with the Bagley-Keene Open
Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1
of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the
commission shall establish selection criteria for Cal Grant A and B
awards under the competitive program that give special consideration
to disadvantaged students, taking into consideration those financial,
educational, cultural, language, home, community, environmental, and
other conditions that hamper a student's access to, and ability to
persist in, postsecondary education programs.
(2) Additional consideration shall be given to each of the
following:
(A) Students who graduated from high school or its equivalent
prior to the 2000-01 academic year. This subparagraph shall not be
applicable after the 2004-05 academic year.
(B) Students pursuing Cal Grant B awards who reestablish their
grade point averages.
(C) Students who did not receive awards pursuant to Article 2
(commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section
69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436).
(d) All other students who meet the eligibility requirements
pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) are eligible to
compete for an award pursuant to this article.
SEC. 4. Article 23 (commencing with Section 70030) is added to
Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
to read:
Article 23. Competitive Incentive Grant Award
70030. For purposes of this article, "student with financial need"
means a student attending a campus of the California State
University who has demonstrated a need for a state, federal, or
institutional financial aid to pay for tuition.
70031. (a) Commencing with the 2015-16 academic year, there shall
be established the Competitive Incentive Grant Award for students
with financial need. The purpose of the grant award is to provide
those students with additional financial aid to offset their total
cost of education, including the costs of housing, textbooks, and
transportation.
(b) The Competitive Incentive Grant Award shall be allocated to a
student with financial need over a three-year period as follows:
(1) One thousand dollars ($1,000) if the student completes 30
units by the end of his or her first academic year.
(2) One thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) if the student
completes 60 units by the end of his or her second academic year.
(3) Two thousand dollars ($2,000) if the student completes 90
units by the end of his or her third academic year.