Higher education budget trailer bill.
What changed between versions
The age limit for receiving a California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement award is raised from 28 to 30 years old, but only for the 2026-27 through 2030-31 award years.
Cal Grant C awards can now be used for occupational or technical training programs of at least 8 weeks instead of a minimum of 4 months, with award amounts based on program length.
Establishes the Credit for Prior Learning Initiative as a systemwide community college initiative requiring evaluation of prior learning documents, statewide technology infrastructure, and intersegmental collaboration with CSU and UC.
Requires community college districts to provide up to 14 weeks of paid leave of absence for employees disabled by pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery, with health coverage maintained and retirement contributions included. Effective January 1, 2027.
Requires the Student Aid Commission to determine whether short-term programs meet federal Workforce Pell Grant program requirements, including consultation with the California Workforce Development Board and Labor and Workforce Development Agency, with a 90-day decision deadline.
Requires the community college chancellor's office to establish a Common Cloud Data Platform for unified data infrastructure across all participating districts, with funding directed to specific areas of work.
Requires the community college chancellor's office to submit recommendations by October 1, 2028 on equating enrollment in competency-based education programs to full-time equivalent students for funding purposes, and requires Calbright College to submit data on noncredit program reporting schedules starting in 2026-27.
Requires the CSU chancellor's office to annually develop and report enrollment targets and related data for each CSU campus to the Senate Budget Committee, Assembly Budget Committee, and Department of Finance.
Changes the community college base allocation formula so that funded credit FTES is the greater of the 3-year rolling average or current year FTES, and establishes a funding floor ensuring each district receives at least its 2024-25 general purpose apportionment level adjusted by a 1.44% cost-of-living increase.
Reduces the Budget Act of 2025 appropriation for community college apportionments by $455,452,000, while making new appropriations including $196,328,000 for apportionments and FTES growth, $147,208,000 for the Student Support Block Grant, $36,078,000 for Dreamer Resource Liaisons, $159,741,000 for paid pregnancy disability leave reimbursement, and other smaller amounts.
Changes the application of $408,363,000 in deferred apportionments toward meeting minimum funding requirements for the 2024-25 fiscal year instead of the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Changes the nonresident tuition fee exemption cap from 150 FTES per individual community college to a total of 1,350 FTES across all participating colleges systemwide, requiring joint administration plans among participating colleges.
Changes the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program annual reporting deadline from July 1 to February 1, and requires allied health professional program reports to be submitted on December 31 triennially instead of annually or biennially on March 1.
Expands the Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program to include vision and dental benefits, which were previously excluded.
Updates Native American repatriation provisions to align with updated federal regulations by replacing the exceptions-based condition with a stay-of-repatriation condition.