Bill Text: CA AB1887 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Student financial aid: application deadlines: extension.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-03-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 5, Statutes of 2024. [AB1887 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1887-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 13, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1887

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Introduced by Assembly Member Cervantes

January 22, 2024

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An act to add and repeal Section 16521.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster care. amend Section 22 of Chapter 50 of the Statutes of 2023, relating to student financial aid, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1887, as amended, Cervantes. Foster care: LGBTQ youth. Student financial aid: application deadlines: extension.

Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. If the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid is not available on or before October 1, 2023, existing law extends the application deadline for financial aid programs administered by the commission to April 2, 2024, for the 2024–25 award year only.

This bill would extend the April 2, 2024, application deadline for financial aid programs administered by the commission by one month.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law generally provides for the placement of foster youth in various placement settings and governs the provision of child welfare services, which is defined to mean public social services that are directed toward the accomplishment of specified purposes, including protecting and promoting the welfare of all children, preventing the unnecessary separation of children from their families, and restoring to their families children who have been removed. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with county child welfare agencies and other specified entities, to implement a unified, family friendly, and child-centered resource family approval process to replace the existing multiple processes for licensing foster family homes, certifying foster homes by licensed foster family agencies, approving relatives and nonrelative extended family members as foster care providers, and approving guardians and adoptive families.

This bill would require the department to convene a workgroup to create a report with recommendations to prevent housing instability among LGBTQ youth in foster care. The bill would require the workgroup to submit that report on or before January 1, 2026, as specified. The bill would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2028.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 22 of Chapter 50 of the Statutes of 2023 is amended to read:

SEC. 22.

 For the 2024–25 award year only, if the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not available on or before October 1, 2023, every financial aid program administered by the Student Aid Commission with an application deadline of March 2, 2024, shall have the application deadline extended to April May 2, 2024. This extension applies, but is not limited, to all of the following financial aid programs:

(a) The Competitive Cal Grant A and B award program established pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 69437) of Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(b) The Cal Grant B Entitlement Program established pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435) of Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(c) The Cal Grant A Entitlement Program established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434) of Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(d) The Cal Grant 4 Program established pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 69425) of Chapter 1.5 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(e) The Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement Program established pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436) of Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(f) The Middle Class Scholarship Program established pursuant to Article 22 (commencing with Section 70020) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

SEC. 2.

 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order for California students to have sufficient time to complete the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which provides access to federal Pell Grant awards, Cal Grant awards, Middle Class Scholarship Program awards, and institutional aid programs at institutions of higher education, and which has been delayed this year, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.

SECTION 1.Section 16521.4 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

16521.4.

(a)(1)The department shall convene a workgroup to create a report with recommendations to prevent housing instability among LGBTQ youth in foster care.

(2)The workgroup established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall address whether strengthening case management and services for those transitioning from foster care would eliminate housing instability among LGBTQ youth.

(3)The report required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted on or before January 1, 2026.

(b)(1)A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(2)Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on January 1, 2028.