Cal Grant Program.

(1) Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes, among other award programs, the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards and the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. This bill would require the commission to adopt regulations establishing a pilot program for an alternative Cal Grant delivery system under which a qualifying institution, if it elects to participate and meets specified requirements, would be authorized to voluntarily administer award grants under the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Programs and the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement Program. The bill would prohibit the commission from implementing the pilot alternative delivery system until the commission meets prescribed conditions, including receiving commitments from at least 30, but not more than 35, qualifying institutions electing to participate in the alternative delivery system and to pay the costs associated with developing and implementing the pilot alternative delivery system. The bill would prescribe requirements for the selection of qualifying institutions within the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges for participation in the pilot program. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to report to the Legislature and the Governor regarding the implementation of the program by January 10, 2011. The bill would appropriate $4,300,000 from the General Fund to the commission for the support of the commission for the 2009–10 fiscal year. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.