(1) Existing law establishes the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program to provide one-time grants for the construction of student housing or for the acquisition and renovation of commercial properties into student housing for the purpose of providing affordable, low-cost housing options for students enrolled in public postsecondary education in the state.

This bill would revise and recast various provisions of the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, as provided, including various revisions to application criteria and process. The bill would appropriate $1,428,133,000 from the General Fund for grants under the program to be allocated, as specified. The bill would appropriate $17,974,000 from the General Fund for the purpose of providing planning grants for California community colleges that are exploring or determining if it is feasible to offer affordable student rental housing. The bill would appropriate $3,893,000 from the General Fund for the program, with specific projects to be funded with this appropriation to be identified in subsequent legislation.

(2) Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Expanded 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 these awards for participating students attending qualifying institutions.

This bill would enact the Cal Grant Reform Act, which would revise and recast the provisions establishing and governing the existing Cal Grant Program into a new Cal Grant Program. The bill would specify that the Cal Grant Reform Act would become operative only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act. The bill would authorize the commission to adopt emergency regulations to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act. The new Cal Grant Program would also include a Cal Grant 2 Program and a Cal Grant 4 Program, with eligibility requirements as specified.

The provisions rendering several existing provisions of the Cal Grant Program inoperative would take effect on July 1, 2024, only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act.

The bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and request the Regents of the University of California, to adopt a statement of policy on or before December 31, 2024, on how their institutional aid programs address student basic needs and how these institutional funds are prioritized for disbursement.

The bill would require the University of California, the California State University, private nonprofit and for-profit institutions of higher education, and community college districts whose students receive Cal Grant aid to report specified data to the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and the higher education policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature for each academic year, starting with the 2024–25 academic year, by March 31 of the subsequent academic year. To the extent that this provision would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program.

(3) Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, specifies the amounts of the maximum Cal Grant A and B awards for students attending independent institutions of higher education. Existing law authorizes community colleges to award an associate degree for transfer, and provides that the amount of Cal Grant A and B tuition awards for future years for students at independent institutions of higher education depends on the number of commitments those institutions make to accept associate degrees for transfer. Specifically, beginning with the 2022–23 award year, the maximum tuition award is either $9,220 or $8,056, depending upon whether the number of new unduplicated transfer students accepted by those institutions who have been given associate degree for transfer commitments in the prior award year exceeds statutory targets.

This bill would fix the 2022–23 award year amount for a new recipient at an independent institution of higher education at $9,358. The bill would, commencing with the 2023–24 award year, set the maximum tuition award amount as either $9,358 or $8,056, with the higher amount conditioned on the achievement of the target numbers for associate degree for transfer commitments that apply for the prior award year. The bill would fix the amount for a renewal recipient at an independent institution of higher education at $9,358, if the recipient first received a new award before the 2022–23 award year.

(4) Existing law establishes a California Community College Expanded Entitlement Award for students who were not awarded a Cal Grant A or B award at the time of the student’s high school graduation but who will be enrolled at a California community college during the award year and meet other criteria. Existing law authorizes a student who receives a California Community College Expanded Entitlement Award to subsequently transfer to a University of California or California State University campus and remain eligible to receive the award. Existing law prohibits a student who receives a California Community College Expanded Entitlement Award and subsequently transfers to an independent institution of higher education from remaining eligible to receive the award.

This bill would instead authorize a student who receives a California Community College Expanded Entitlement Award and who subsequently transfers to an independent institution of higher education to remain eligible to receive the award, but only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act.

(5) Existing law, commencing with the 2019–20 academic year, provides an additional award, as specified, to Cal Grant A and B Entitlement, Competitive Cal Grant A and B, and Cal Grant C recipients who attend a public postsecondary educational institution and have a dependent child or dependent children, as defined.

This bill would provide the additional award to Cal Grant A and B Entitlement, Competitive Cal Grant A and B, and Cal Grant C recipients who attend an independent institution of higher education and have a dependent child or dependent children.

(6) Commencing with the 2021–22 academic year, existing law provides an additional award, as specified, to Cal Grant A and B Entitlement, Competitive Cal Grant A and B, and Cal Grant C recipients who are foster youth or former foster youth, as defined, attending a public postsecondary educational institution.

This bill would provide the additional award to Cal Grant A and B Entitlement, Competitive Cal Grant A and B, and Cal Grant C recipients who are foster youth or former foster youth attending an independent institution of higher education.

(7) Existing law establishes the California Dreamer Service Incentive Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for students participating in the program, including submission of a California Dream Act application to the commission and meeting all of the requirements for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition. Under the grant program, a participating student is eligible for an award of up to $1,500 per semester or $1,000 per quarter. Existing law requires the amount of a grant to be calculated in accordance with a formula, as specified.

This bill would increase the maximum amount of a grant under the California Dreamer Service Incentive Grant Program to up to $2,250 per semester or $1,500 per quarter. The bill, instead of the existing formula used to calculate the amount of a grant, would fix a student’s award amount per term based on whether the student is enrolled in a semester-based or quarter-based system, as provided, and would set the minimum amount of a grant awarded in a semester or quarter at $450, without regards to a student’s part-time or full-time status. The bill would make a Cal Grant A award recipient who is not a recipient of a Cal Grant B award, but was eligible for a Cal Grant B award, eligible to receive a grant under the program if the student meets the other eligibility requirements. The bill, commencing with the 2021–22 fiscal year and upon order of the Director of Finance, would require any unexpended or unencumbered funds appropriated for purposes of the program, as of June 30 of each fiscal year, to be transferred to the University of California and the California State University to support the California DREAM Loan Program, as specified.

(8) Existing law establishes the Leaning-Aligned Employment Program, administered by the Student Aid Commission, in consultation with the office of the President of the University of California, the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, and the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, to provide eligible college and university students with the opportunity to earn money to help defray their educational costs, while gaining education-aligned, career-related experience. Under existing law, funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of the program are provided to the commission for allocation to participating public postsecondary educational institutions, and are available for encumbrance and expenditure by participating campuses until June 30, 2031.

This bill would make the funds provided to the commission that are appropriated for the program available for encumbrance and expenditure until June 30, 2031, without reference in this context to participating campuses.

(9) Existing law establishes the California Kids Investment and Development Savings (KIDS) Program, under the administration of the Scholarshare Investment Board, for the purposes of expanding access to higher education through savings. Existing law establishes the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program Fund in the State Treasury to serve as the initial repository of all moneys received from state and private sources for the KIDS Program, and continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the board for the KIDS Program. Existing law requires moneys in the fund, subject to availability, to be deposited in KIDS Accounts, one designated for each California resident child born on or after a date to be determined by the board that is no later than July 1, 2022. Existing law requires the board to provide awards from these KIDS Accounts in the amount of the seed deposit, enhanced deposit, and any additional financial incentives designated for the child, as specified, for each recipient child’s qualified higher education expenses at an eligible institution of higher education.

This bill would revise and recast provisions of the KIDS program. The bill would include expenses at registered apprenticeship programs as qualified higher education expenses at an institution of higher education, for purposes of the KIDS program. By expanding the uses of a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.

(10) Existing law establishes the Middle Class Scholarship Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law makes an undergraduate student eligible for a scholarship award under the program if the student meets certain eligibility requirements. Existing law, upon order of the Director of Finance, transfers $116,956,000 for the 2020–21 fiscal year, and $117,000,000 for the 2021–22 fiscal year, from the General Fund to the Middle Class Scholarship Fund, and appropriates that sum to the commission for purposes of the scholarship program.

This bill would reduce the appropriation for the 2020–21 fiscal year by $2,785,000, and would reduce the appropriation for the 2021–22 fiscal year by $7,039,000.

(11) Existing law establishes the California College Promise, under the administration of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, to provide funding, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each community college meeting prescribed requirements. Existing law authorizes a community college to use that funding to waive some or all of the fees for 2 academic years for certain first-time students at the college who are enrolled in 12 or more semester units or the equivalent, or less for students certified as “full time,” as specified, and who complete and submit either a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a California Dream Act application, except for students who have previously earned a degree or certificate from a postsecondary educational institution. Existing law establishes certain requirements for participation in the California College Promise, including, among others, maximizing student access to need-based financial aid, as provided.

This bill would additionally require, as a condition of participating in, and receiving funding for, the California College Promise, community colleges and community college districts, among other conditions, to maximize available resources to address student basic needs, as specified. The bill would make returning students, as defined, eligible for the fee waiver. The bill would authorize the chancellor’s office to require community colleges and community college districts receiving this funding to annually report the use of California College Promise funds.

(12) Existing law, the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, provides that the purpose of the act is to increase California community college student access and success by providing effective core matriculation services of orientation, assessment and placement, counseling, and other education planning services, and academic interventions. The act requires a community college district or community college to maximize the probability that students will enter and complete transfer-level coursework in English and mathematics within one-year.

This bill would establish the California Community College Equitable Placement and Completion Grant Program under the administration of the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to award grants to ensure the implementation of equitable placement and completion policies and practices at community colleges, as provided. The bill would appropriate $64,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to be allocated to support the program.

(13) Existing law authorizes the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a program, named the Rising Scholars Network, to enter into agreements with up to 50 community colleges to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for justice-involved students, as defined.

This bill would establish the Hire UP Program, to be administered by the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. The bill would authorize the chancellor’s office to enter into agreements with up to 10 community college districts to provide funding for stipends to formerly incarcerated individuals, CalWORKs recipients, and former foster youth. Under the bill, a community college student enrolled in a certificate or degree program at a California community college would be eligible for a stipend if the student was released from incarceration within the last 3 years and is a current participant in the Rising Scholars Network or in another dedicated reentry program, or if the student is a CalWORKs recipient or former foster youth. The bill would appropriate $30,000,000 for purposes of the program. The bill would require the chancellor’s office to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the implementation of the pilot program, including key conclusions and policy recommendations.

This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029.

(14) Existing law, the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program, authorizes the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to enter into agreements with up to 20 community college districts to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for foster youth. Existing law specifies services for foster youth under the program.

This bill would revise and recast provisions of the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program. The bill would rename the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program as NextUp, and would expand authorization for the program by removing the 20 community college district limit.

(15) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses throughout the state.

This bill would establish the Native American Student Support and Success Program under the administration of the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to provide various services for Native American students. The bill would authorize the chancellor’s office to enter into agreements with up to 20 community colleges to provide grants to those participating colleges for the purpose of developing local Native American student support and success programs and delivering matriculation services for Native American students, as provided. The bill would appropriate $30,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to be allocated to support the program.

(16) Existing law provides for a formula for the calculation of general purpose apportionments of state funds to community colleges. Existing law requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, commencing with the 2018–19 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, to annually calculate a base allocation, supplemental allocation, and student success allocation for each community college district in the state, as specified. Existing law requires, for the 2018–19 to 2024–25, inclusive, fiscal years, each community college district with a specified increase in 2017–18 general purpose apportionment funding when computed pursuant to an existing law that is less than the year-over-year cost-of-living adjustments applicable to those fiscal years to receive discretionary resources in an amount needed to ensure that the community college district receives no less than its 2017–18 general purpose apportionment funding computed pursuant to the existing law adjusted for annual year-over-year cost-of-living adjustments. Existing law also establishes a hold harmless protection for community college districts and, commencing with the 2020–21 fiscal year, requires decreases in a community college district’s total revenue to result in the associated reduction beginning in the year following the initial year of decreases, adjusted for changes in the cost-of-living adjustment, as specified.

This bill would, commencing with the 2025–26 fiscal year, require each community college district to receive the greater of a community college district’s total revenue computed pursuant to the sum of the base allocation, supplemental allocation, and student success allocation for that fiscal year, or a community college district’s general purpose apportionment funding computed for the 2024–25 fiscal year, including the greater of discretionary resources or specified revenue received by the district.

(17) Existing law requires the governing board of a community college district to fix and order paid the compensation of persons who are part of the classified service and other nonacademic employees employed by the governing board of the community college district, unless otherwise prescribed by law.

This bill would establish the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program, which would authorize community college districts to participate in the Classified Community College Employee Summer Assistance Program and would authorize a classified employee of a participating community college district who meets the same requirements required of participating classified employees of local educational agencies to withhold an amount from the community college employee’s monthly paycheck during the academic year to be paid out during the summer recess period, as provided.

(18) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program to, among other things, advance California’s economic growth and global competitiveness through education, training, and services that contribute to continuous workforce improvement. Existing law authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to award grants and project funds for the program, as specified. Existing law requires the program to be implemented only during those fiscal years for which funds are appropriated for its purposes. Existing law repeals the program on January 1, 2023.

This bill instead would repeal the program on January 1, 2025, thereby extending the operation of the program by 2 years.

(19) Existing law establishes a grant program to provide grants to California community college students who meet certain criteria, contingent on funding being made available, to help offset their total cost of community college attendance. Under the existing law, qualifying students who enroll in 12, 13, or 14 units per semester, or the quarterly equivalent number of units, are eligible for $649 per semester, or quarterly equivalent, and qualifying students who enroll in 15 units per semester, or the quarterly equivalent number of units, are eligible for $2,000 per semester, or quarterly equivalent.

This bill would double the amount that a qualifying student who enrolls in 12, 13, or 14 units per semester, or the quarterly equivalent number of units, and a qualifying student who enrolls in 15 units per semester, or the quarterly equivalent number of units, is eligible to receive under the grant program to $1,298 and $4,000, respectively, per semester, or quarterly equivalent.

(20) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The California State University comprises 23 institutions of higher education located throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the Trustees of the California State University to lease any property of a state university for any purpose that they consider is not inconsistent with the functions of the California State University. Existing law requires any rental income received by the trustees under that or other leasing provisions to be deposited in the State Treasury and credited to the support appropriation of the California State University current during the period of occupancy. Existing law creates the California State University Trust Fund as a continuously appropriated fund and specifies its sources of revenue.

This bill instead would require the rental income received by the trustees to be deposited into the California State University Trust Fund. By establishing a new revenue source for a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.

(21) This bill would establish the Cybersecurity Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships Pilot Program to address the cybersecurity workforce gap, as specified. The bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California State University to select any number of California State University campuses, with preference given to campuses that have or are developing regional pipeline programs in cybersecurity with the California Community Colleges, to participate in the pilot program through an application process, which the bill would require the chancellor’s office to develop on or before March 1, 2023. The bill would require each of the selected campuses to create a pilot program, as specified, and to annually share the impact and results of its pilot program with the chancellor’s office. The bill would require the chancellor’s office to annually report the impact and results of the campuses’ pilot programs to the Legislature.

(22) Existing law subjects all appropriations for the support of the California State University and the Trustees of the California State University to certain restrictions, except that the trustees may, with regard to funds appropriated for the support of the university, approve the transfer of funds between general fund appropriations.

This bill instead would authorize the trustees as an exception to the support appropriation restrictions to approve the transfer of funds appropriated for the support of the university between general fund appropriations and support appropriations.

(23) Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state.

This bill, subject to the availability of funds in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, would require the office of the Chancellor of the California State University and the office of the President of the University of California to provide their participating campuses with funding to provide support services for students who are foster youth and former foster youth. The bill would require each participating campus to offer various services as part of its campus program, including providing a full-time designated staff program director or coordinator, campus office and meeting space, a range of student supports to address academic and nonacademic needs, and opportunities for peer mentors.

(24) This bill would establish a California Community Colleges Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement Program at the California State University and the California Community Colleges to provide culturally responsive services to enhance student educational experiences and promote higher education success for low-income, underserved, and first-generation AANHPI students and other underrepresented students.

(25) Existing provisions of the Local Agency Public Construction Act govern contracting by community college districts. Existing law authorizes the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to enter into a contract or other agreement with the governing board of any community college district whereby the district performs services or acts as a fiscal agent on behalf of the California Community Colleges, if the funds for the contract or agreement are in satisfaction of the state obligation to provide funding under Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, which sets forth a formula for computing the minimum amount of General Fund revenues that the state is required to appropriate for the support of school districts and community college districts for each fiscal year.

Existing law, until July 1, 2023, exempts the chancellor from the requirement to advertise for or invite bids for those contracts or other agreements that are no more than $20,000,000. Existing law, until July 1, 2023, also exempts from that requirement the renewal of existing contracts or other agreements that the chancellor has entered into with a governing board, regardless of the amount.

This bill would extend those dates by 2 years, thereby making the exemptions operative until July 1, 2025.

(26) Under existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, an otherwise qualifying institution with a 3-year cohort default rate that is equal to or greater than 15.5% is ineligible for initial and renewal Cal Grant awards at the institution, as specified, with certain exceptions. Existing law requires the Student Aid Commission to certify by November 1 of each year a qualifying institution’s latest 3-year cohort default rate and graduation rate as most recently reported by the United States Department of Education, except for the 2022–23 academic year existing law requires the commission to use the 3-year cohort default rate certified in 2020 for an otherwise qualifying institution.

This bill would require the commission to also use the 3-year cohort default rate certified in 2020 for an otherwise qualifying institution for the 2023–24 academic year.

(27) The Budget Act of 2021 made appropriations for the support of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for the 2021–22 fiscal year, including $2,819,098,000 for apportionments.

This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2021 by reducing the appropriation made to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for apportionments by $471,435,000.

(28) This bill would appropriate $840,655,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation to community college districts to address specified purposes, including scheduled maintenance and special repairs of facilities, at community colleges.

(29) This bill would appropriate $105,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation to community college districts to assist with the adoption of, and transition to, a common course numbering system, as provided.

(30) This bill would appropriate $65,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation to community college districts to assist with the implementation of transfer reforms, as specified.

(31) This bill would appropriate $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to provide emergency financial assistance grants to certain low-income community college students who meet specified requirements.

(32) This bill would appropriate $75,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation to community college districts to implement local and systemwide technology and data security measures that support improved oversight of fraud mitigation and cybersecurity efforts.

(33) This bill would appropriate $166,500,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to be allocated for various purposes, as provided.

(34) This bill would appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation to the Los Angeles Community College District for the development and initial operations of the California Center for Climate Change Education, which shall be located at West Los Angeles College.

(35) Certain funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, as specified.

(36) 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.

(37) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.