Bill Text: CA AB2822 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended

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

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Bill Title: Student financial aid: community college students: emergency financial assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - Died on inactive file. [AB2822 Detail]

Download: California-2015-AB2822-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 2822	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 31, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 17, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Chiu
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Medina,   Santiago,   Weber,   and
Williams   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2016

   An act to amend Section 78212 of the Education Code, relating to
student financial aid.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2822, as amended, Chiu. Student financial aid: Student Success
and Support Program: emergency student financial assistance.
   Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under
the administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary
education in this state. Existing law, known as the Seymour-Campbell
Student Success Act of 2012, defines "matriculation" as a process
that brings a college and a student who enrolls for credit into an
agreement for the purpose of realizing the student's educational
objectives. The act specifies the matriculation services that
community colleges are required to provide.
   This bill would authorize the use of Student Success and Support
Program funds for the provision of emergency student financial
assistance, as defined, to eligible students, as defined,  to
overcome   unforeseen financial challenges, as specified,
that would directly impact a student's ability to persist in his or
her course of study,  if emergency student financial assistance
is included in an institution's plan for interventions to students.
 The bill would authorize no more than 3% of the total funding
that a community college district or campus receives for the Student
Success and Support Program to be used for the provision of emergency
student financial assistance. 
   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.    The Legislature finds and declares all
of the following:  
   (a) Given the need to improve community college student outcomes,
the Legislature required the California Community Colleges to develop
plans to improve student success through the Seymour-Campbell
Student Success Act of 2012 (Article 1 (commencing with Section
78210) of Chapter 2 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the
Education Code).  
   (b) Research indicates that students' ability to pay for
nontuition costs plays a major role in determining the outcomes of
their academic careers and impacts student success. Unexpected
financial emergencies can play a major role when community college
students drop out of school.  
   (c) Emergency aid is an effective strategy to retain students and
ultimately improve graduation rates and overall student success.
Emergency aid provides the flexibility needed to respond to a student'
s unexpected financial emergency that may arise during the academic
year. Emergency aid is a critical tool for student retention and
persistence that is most effective as a part of a broader set of
student success efforts.  
   (d) It is in the interest of the state to reduce the attrition
rates of full-time students. Nationally, billions of dollars are lost
when full-time students do not return in what would be their second
year of college. California has lost more than one hundred million
dollars ($100,000,000) in state and federal funding due to first-year
attrition. Emergency aid is an efficient investment that addresses
student attrition while only providing small dollar grants when a
student is in crisis. With this type of well-timed aid, students are
more likely to complete the academic term and re-enroll for the next
term.  
   (e) A well-educated citizenry provides tremendous benefits to the
state as higher educational attainment is connected with higher
earnings, which produce more tax revenue and lower the cost of social
services. 
   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.   Section 78212 of
the Education Code is amended to read:
   78212.  (a) (1) For purposes of this article, "matriculation"
means a process that brings a college and a student into an agreement
for the purpose of achieving the student's educational goals and
completing the student's course of study. The agreement involves the
responsibilities of both parties to attain those objectives through
the college's established programs, policies, and requirements
including those established by the board of governors pursuant to
Section 78215.
   (2) The institution's responsibility under the agreement includes
the provision of student services to provide a strong foundation and
support for their academic success and ability to achieve their
educational goals. The program of services funded through the
Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, which shall be known
and may be cited as the Student Success and Support Program, shall
include, but are not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
   (A) Orientation services designed to provide to students, on a
timely basis, information concerning campus procedures, academic
expectations, financial assistance, and any other matters the college
or district finds appropriate.
   (B) Assessment before course registration, as defined in Section
78213.
   (C) Counseling and other education planning services, which shall
include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:
   (i) Counseling and advising.
   (ii) Assistance to students in the exploration of educational and
career interests and aptitudes and identification of educational
objectives, including, but not  necessarily  limited to,
preparation for transfer, associate degrees, and career technical
education certificates and licenses.
   (iii) The provision of information, guided by sound counseling
principles and practices, using a broad array of delivery mechanisms,
including technology-based strategies to serve a continuum of
student needs and abilities, that will enable students to make
informed choices.
   (iv) Development of an education plan leading to a course of study
and guidance on course selection that is informed by, and related
to, a student's academic and career goals.
   (D) Referral to specialized support services as needed and
available, including, but not necessarily limited to, federal, state,
and local financial assistance; health services; career services;
veteran support services; foster youth services; extended opportunity
programs and services provided pursuant to Article 8 (commencing
with Section 69640) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5; campus
child care services provided pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with
Section 66060) of Chapter 2 of Part 40 of Division 5; programs that
teach basic skills education and English as a second language; and
disabled student services provided pursuant to Chapter 14 (commencing
with Section 67300) of Part 40 of Division 5.
   (E) Evaluation of each student's progress and referral to
appropriate interventions for students who are enrolled in basic
skills courses, who have not declared an educational goal as
required, or who are on academic probation, as defined by standards
adopted by the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges and community college districts.
   (3)  The student's responsibilities under the agreement include,
but are not necessarily limited to, the identification of an academic
and career goal upon application, the declaration of a specific
course of study after a specified time period or unit accumulation,
as defined by the board of governors, diligence in class attendance
and completion of assigned coursework, and the completion of courses
and maintenance of academic progress toward an educational goal and
course of study identified in the student's education plan. To ensure
that students are not unfairly impacted by the requirements of this
chapter, the board of governors shall establish a reasonable
implementation period that is phased in as resources are available to
provide nonexempt students with the core services pursuant to this
section.
   (b) Funding for the Student Success and Support Program shall be
targeted to fully implement orientation, assessment, counseling and
advising, and other education planning services needed to assist a
student in making an informed decision about his or her educational
goal and course of study and in the development of an education plan.

   (c) (1) Funding for the Student Success and Support Program may be
used for provision of emergency student financial assistance to help
eligible students to overcome unforeseen financial 
challenges, including, but   challenges that would
directly impact the student's ability to persist in his or her course
of study. These challenges include, but are  not necessarily
limited to, the immediate need for shelter or food.  Each
community college district and campus is encouraged to consider the
unique characteristics of its student body in developing specific
guidelines for further defining what constitutes an unforeseen
financial challenge for its students. 
   (2) In order for emergency student financial assistance to be an
allowable use of Student Success and Support Program funds, emergency
student financial assistance shall be included in the institution's
plan for interventions to students.
   (3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms are
defined as follows:
   (A) "Eligible student" means a student who has experienced an
unforeseen financial challenge, who currently meets satisfactory
academic progress of the institution he or she attends, and who is at
risk of not persisting in his or her course of study due to the
unforeseen financial challenge.
   (B) "Emergency student financial assistance" means financial
support in the form of financial assistance to support a student to
help overcome unforeseen financial challenges so that the student can
continue his or her course of study. 
   (4) No more than 3 percent of the total funding that a community
college district or campus receives for the Student Success and
Support Program may be used for the provision of emergency student
financial assistance.