Bill Text: CA AB1974 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Pupils: collection of debt.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-09-20 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 577, Statutes of 2018. [AB1974 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB1974-Chaptered.html
| Assembly Bill No. 1974 |
| CHAPTER 577 |
An act to add Section 49014 to the Education Code, relating to pupils.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 20, 2018.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 20, 2018.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1974, Gonzalez Fletcher.
Pupils: collection of debt.
Existing law provides that a pupil enrolled in a public school is prohibited from being required to pay a pupil fee, as defined, for participation in an educational activity, as defined.
The Child Hunger Prevention and Fair Treatment Act of 2017 prohibits certain local educational agencies, as defined, that provide school meals through the federal National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program from taking any action directed at a pupil to collect unpaid school meal fees. The act authorizes a local educational agency to attempt to collect unpaid school meal fees from a parent or guardian, but prohibits the local educational agency from using a debt collector, as defined.
This bill would enact the Public School Fair Debt Collection Act. The act would provide that a pupil or former
pupil, unless emancipated at the time the debt is incurred, can never owe or be billed for a debt owed to a public school or school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school. The act would prohibit those educational entities from taking negative actions against a pupil or former pupil because of a debt owed to the educational entity, including, among other things, denying or withholding grades or transcripts, or denying or withholding a diploma. The act would require those educational entities to provide an itemized invoice, including specified information, for any amount owed by the parent or guardian on behalf of a pupil or former pupil before pursuing payment of the debt and to provide a receipt to a parent or guardian for each payment made to the educational entity for any amount owed by the parent or guardian on behalf of the pupil or former pupil. The act would
prohibit a debt collector, as defined, from reporting debt owed by a parent or guardian to a credit reporting agency if the debt collector is contracted with one of those educational entities for the purpose of pursuing repayment of any debt owed by a parent or guardian of a pupil or former pupil, and the bill would prohibit those educational entities from selling debt owed by a parent or guardian of a pupil or former pupil. The bill would provide that any waiver by a parent, guardian, pupil, or former pupil of the these provisions is contrary to public policy and is unenforceable and void. The bill would provide that these provisions do not apply to debt owed as a result of vandalism or to cover the replacement cost of public school or school district books, supplies, or property loaned to a pupil that the pupil fails to return or that are willfully cut, defaced, or otherwise injured, except if the pupil is a current or former homeless child or youth, as defined, or a current or former foster youth, as
defined, and would authorize a public school or school district to offer a pupil or former pupil, with the permission of the parent or guardian of the pupil or former pupil,
alternative, nonmonetary forms of compensation to settle such debt, as provided. By imposing additional duties on school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Public School Fair Debt Collection Act.SEC. 2.
Section 49014 is added to the Education Code, to read:49014.
(a) A pupil or former pupil, unless emancipated at the time the debt is incurred, shall not owe or be billed for a debt owed to a public school or school district.(b) A public school or school district shall not, because of a debt owed to the public school or school district, take negative action against a pupil or former pupil, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Denying full credit for any assignments for a class.
(2) Denying full and equal participation in classroom activity.
(3) Denying access to on-campus educational facilities, including, but not limited to, the library.
(4) Denying or withholding grades or transcripts.
(5) Denying or withholding a diploma.
(6) Limiting or barring participation in an extracurricular activity, club, or sport.
(7) Limiting or excluding from participation in an educational activity, field trip, or school ceremony.
(c) (1) A public school or school district shall provide an itemized invoice for any amount owed by the parent or guardian on behalf of a pupil or former pupil before pursuing payment of the debt
and shall provide a receipt to the parent or guardian of a pupil or former pupil for each payment made to the public school or school district for any amount owed by the parent or guardian on behalf of the pupil or former pupil.
(2) The invoice required in paragraph (1) shall include references to school policies relating to debt collection and the rights established in this section and Section 49557.5.
(d) Except as provided in subdivision (g), a debt collector, as defined in Section 803 of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1692a), shall not report a debt owed by a parent or guardian to a credit reporting agency if the debt collector is contracted with a
public school or school district for the purpose of pursuing the repayment of a debt owed by a parent or guardian of a pupil or former pupil.
(e) A public school or school district shall not sell debt owed by a parent or guardian of a pupil or former pupil.
(f) Any waiver by a parent, guardian, pupil, or former pupil of the provisions of this section is contrary to public policy and shall be unenforceable and void.
(g) (1) This section shall not apply to debt owed as a result of vandalism or to cover the replacement cost of public school or school district books, supplies, or property loaned to a pupil that the pupil fails to return or that are willfully cut, defaced, or otherwise injured. A public
school or school district may offer a pupil or former pupil, with the permission of the parent or guardian of the pupil or former pupil, alternative, nonmonetary forms of compensation to settle debt described in this paragraph. Alternatives that include service or work in exchange for repayment of a debt shall comply with all provisions of the Labor Code, including those sections relating to youth employment.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply if the pupil is a current or former homeless child or youth or a current or former foster youth.
(h) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Foster youth” has the same meaning as in Section 42238.01.
(2) “Homeless child or youth” has the same meaning as “homeless children and youths” in Section 11434a(2) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(3) “Public school” includes the state special schools, as described in subdivision (a) of Section 48927, charter schools, schools operated by a county office of education, and schools within a school district.
(4) “School district” means a school district or county office of education.
