Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. Existing law, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards, the Cal Grant 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 commission. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for awards under the Cal Grant Program for participating students attending qualifying postsecondary educational institutions, and prescribes requirements that postsecondary educational institutions must comply with in order to be a qualifying postsecondary educational institution for purposes of the Cal Grant Program, including, among others, certain disclosure requirements. This bill would require, on or before April 1, 2026, the commission to convene a workgroup. The bill would require the workgroup to include, but not be limited to, the commission, all segments of postsecondary education, student organizations, and experts. The bill would require the workgroup to identify the common terms, definitions, and structure of financial aid offer letters sent by postsecondary educational institutions, and would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the workgroup to create a financial aid offer letter template. The bill would also require, on or before July 1, 2027, the workgroup to submit a report to the Legislature that includes the financial aid offer letter template. The bill would require, as part of the criteria to be a qualifying institution under the Cal Grant Program, an institution, by the start of the 2028–29 academic year, to use the financial aid offer letter template for all conditional offers of attendance, as specified.
(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. Existing law requires the University of California to fund project grants using revenue bond funding issued by the University of California for certain projects. This bill would require the University of California to fund construction grants for 2 specified student housing projects using revenue bond funding issued by the University of California. (2) 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, as provided. Existing law requires the governing body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to confirm that a grade 12 pupil who has not opted out, as specified, completes and submits a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or, if the pupil is exempt from paying nonresident tuition under existing law, completes and submits a form for purposes of the California Dream Act, as provided. Commencing with the 2025–26 school year, this bill would require the governing body of a local educational agency to provide each pupil and the pupil's parent or legal guardian with information about the KIDS Program and the pupil's potential eligibility for that benefit, as provided. By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 fiscal years, requires the Scholarshare Investment Board to partner with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Riverside County Office of Education to explore ways to increase participation in the KIDS Program. Existing law requires the board, on or before September 30, 2025, and in collaboration with those local educational agencies, to report certain information to the Department of Finance and the Legislature related to those partnerships. This bill, for the 2025–26 to 2029–30 fiscal years, inclusive, would require the board to partner with the Riverside County Office of Education and the San Diego Unified School District to explore ways to increase participation in the KIDS Program. The bill would require the board, on or before September 30, 2029, in collaboration with those local educational agencies, to submit an additional report with the same information related to those partnerships to the Department of Finance and the Legislature. (3) Existing law requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for high school courses for admission recognition, as specified, and to develop and implement, by January 1, 2006, a process for high schools to obtain approval of their courses meeting California State University and University of California admissions requirements, as provided. This bill would instead require the California State University, and request the University of California, to begin working on establishing the above-described model uniform set of academic standards on or after October 1, 2025, and would require the model uniform set of academic standards to also be established for college-level coursework taken for credit at a California public college or university by a pupil simultaneously enrolled in high school, as provided. The bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to post on its internet website the model uniform set of academic standards for college-level coursework taken for credit at a California public college or university, as provided. (4) 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 awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Under existing law, 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 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 2024–25 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 to certify an otherwise qualifying institution for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 academic years. Existing law requires each participating institution, as a condition for its voluntary participation in the Cal Grant Program, to annually report to the commission specified information regarding its undergraduate programs. Existing law requires the commission to provide on its internet website the information submitted by a Cal Grant participating institution pursuant to the reporting requirement described above and other information and links that are useful to students and parents who are in the process of selecting a college or university. This bill would authorize the systemwide central office of a public postsecondary educational institution acting on behalf of the participating institution to annually report to the commission the information regarding the institution's undergraduate programs, as provided. The bill would modify the data required to be reported to the commission, establish an alternative method for reporting that data, and require the data reported to the commission to be reported in a manner that complies with applicable federal and state laws to protect individual privacy, as specified. (5) Existing law establishes the Golden State Teacher Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. For applications received under the program on July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, inclusive, existing law requires the commission to provide one-time grants of up to $10,000 to each student enrolled in a professional preparation program leading to a preliminary teaching credential or a pupil personnel services credential if the student commits to working at a priority school or a California preschool program for 2 years within 4 years following the date the student completes the professional preparation program, as specified. The bill would extend the availability of those grant program funds to applications received under the program on July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, inclusive. By expanding the time in which applications can be received under the program, which is funded by an existing appropriation, the bill would make an appropriation. (6) Existing law establishes the Hire UP Pilot Program and authorizes, subject to an appropriation, the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges 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. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to submit an annual report on or before March 1 to the Legislature on the pilot program's implementation, as provided. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2029. This bill would instead make these provisions inoperative on March 15, 2029, and repeal them on January 1, 2030. The bill would require the chancellor to submit an additional report on the pilot program's implementation on March 1, 2029. Existing law establishes the Native American Student Support and Success Program under the administration of the chancellor's office to provide various services for Native American students. Existing law authorizes 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. Existing law requires the chancellor's office to develop and submit an annual report on before September 1 to the Governor and the Legislature based on certain data and information relating to grants provided under the program, as reported by participating community colleges, and information on the use of program funds. This bill would instead require the chancellor's office to develop and submit those reports triennially until September 1, 2030, as specified. (7) Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to adopt regulations providing for the payment of apportionments to community college districts on a specified schedule. This bill, notwithstanding the provision referenced above, would adjust the payment of apportionments to community college districts for the 2025–26 fiscal year to defer $408,363,000 of those payments to the 2026–27 fiscal year in accordance with a designated schedule. The bill would appropriate that amount to the board of governors for apportionments to community college districts for expenditure in the 2026–27 fiscal year, as specified. (8) Existing law authorizes the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish the Rising Scholars Network to enter into agreements with up to 65 community colleges to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for justice-involved students, as defined. This bill would authorize the chancellor's office to enter into agreements with all community colleges, rather than up to 65 community colleges. (9) Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, by March 31, 2019, an initiative to expand the use of course credit at the California Community Colleges for students with prior learning. Existing law required the chancellor to submit, by January 1, 2020, a report on the initiative to the Legislature. Existing law establishes the California Cradle-to-Career Data System to be a source for actionable data and research on education, economic, and health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities, and to provide for expanded access to tools and services that support the navigation of the education-to-employment pipeline. Existing law establishes a governing board to govern the data system and the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data as the managing entity required to implement and manage the data system. This bill would establish the California Career Passport Program to be administered by the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in partnership with the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, for the purpose of developing a Career Passport that provides individuals with a secure digital tool that displays their preparation for employment, academic records, and credit for prior learning, as specified. The bill would require the program to accomplish specified goals, including providing individuals access to their aggregated information for use in applying for employment and in training at no or low cost to them, as specified. The bill would require the chancellor's office to convene agency and employer representatives to identify technical and policy considerations for building the secure digital tool, and to engage with business and industry leaders collaboratively to ensure Career Passports are useful to, and used by, California's employers, as specified. This bill would appropriate $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support the development of the program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellor's office to develop and report to the Department of Finance and the fiscal committees of the Legislature a timeline establishing target dates for key deliverables for the program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellor's office to collect data on development metrics for the Career Passport, and submit a preliminary report on that data and a final report on student and employer use data to the Department of Finance and all relevant fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, as specified. (10) The California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 provides for student protections and regulatory oversight of private postsecondary institutions in the state. The act is administered by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act establishes the Student Tuition Recovery Fund as a continuously appropriated fund to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a student while enrolled in an institution who, at the time of the student's enrollment, was a California resident or was enrolled in a California residency program, prepaid tuition, and suffered economic loss, as defined. The act establishes the Office of Student Assistance and Relief within the bureau to, among other things, assist students with submitting Student Tuition Recovery Fund claims to the bureau. This bill would authorize the bureau to use moneys in the Student Tuition Recovery Fund to cover the costs of Student Tuition Recovery Fund claim administration and positions of the Office of Student Assistance and Relief. By expanding the purposes for which moneys from a continuously appropriated fund may be expended, the bill would make an appropriation. (11) Existing law imposes a filing fee of $605 to file a notice of appeal in a civil case. Existing law, until January 1, 2025, required that $65 of this fee be deposited into the former California State Law Library Special Account for the support of the California State Law Library. This bill would reestablish the California State Law Library Special Account and would require, until July 1, 2030, $65 of each notice of appeal fee to be deposited into the California State Law Library Special Account for the support of the California State Law Library upon appropriation. The bill would specify that this requirement is intended to apply retroactively to January 1, 2025. (12) The Budget Act of 2023 made appropriations for local assistance to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for the 2023–24 fiscal year, including $3,037,990,000 for apportionments. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2023 by reducing the appropriation made to the board of governors for apportionments by $67,001,000. (13) The Budget Act of 2024 made appropriations for local assistance to the board of governors for the 2024–25 fiscal year, including $3,904,892,000 for apportionments. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2024 by increasing the appropriation made to the board of governors for apportionments by $10,822,000. (14) The Budget Act of 2024, among other things, reappropriates $12,000,000 to the board of governors to support the development of e-Transcript California, as provided. This bill would appropriate $6,558,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support the development of e-Transcript California pursuant to that provision. (15) This bill would appropriate $5,100,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to provide grants through a community college district to California community-based organizations for financial aid outreach and application assistance supporting current and prospective community college students, as provided. (16) This bill would appropriate $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support emergency financial assistance grants to students attending a community college, as specified. (17) Existing law requires the California Community Colleges to designate on each of its campuses a Dreamer Resource Liaison to assist students in meeting certain requirements to be exempt from paying nonresident tuition by streamlining access to all available financial aid and academic opportunities for those students. This bill would appropriate $15,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support Dreamer Resource Liaisons in assisting students, as described above. (18) The Budget Act of 2022, among other things, appropriates $10,000,000 to the board of governors to support the California Healthy School Food Pathway program, as provided. This bill would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of Governors to support the California Healthy School Food Pathway program. (19) This bill would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors for transfer to a community college for allocation to the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Council to conduct Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic Preapprenticeship Training Academies. (20) This bill would appropriate $125,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors for allocation on a one-time basis to Santa Rosa Junior College for the construction of a fire academy tower. (21) Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, by March 31, 2019, an initiative to expand the use of course credit at the California Community Colleges for students with prior learning. Existing law required the chancellor to submit, by January 1, 2020, a report on the initiative to the Legislature. This bill would appropriate up to $15,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support the Credit for Prior Learning Initiative, a systemwide initiative to award degree-applicable or certificate-applicable credit for prior learning opportunities at each campus, as provided. (22) This bill would appropriate $60,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to establish the Student Support Block Grant. The bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to allocate the funds to community colleges pursuant to a specified formula. The bill would authorize community college districts to use the allocated funds for certain purposes, including, among other purposes, for assistance to students with food, housing, transportation, and other basic needs. (23) This bill would appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors for allocation to community colleges that are members of the Los Angeles Regional Consortium to assist with workforce recovery efforts and career technical education workforce development associated with the Los Angeles regions' recovery from the Palisades and Eaton fires. (24) 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. (25) The 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. (26) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
