Bill Text: CA AB1892 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Student financial aid: Cal Grant C awards.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - From committee without further action. [AB1892 Detail]
Download: California-2015-AB1892-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 1892 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Medina
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
An act to amend Section Sections 69432,
69432.7, and 69439 of of, and to add
Section 69439.5 to, the Education Code, relating to student
financial aid.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1892, as amended, Medina. Student financial aid: Cal Grant C
awards.
The Cal Grant Program establishes Cal Grant C awards, which may be
used only for institutional fees, and other costs, as specified, for
occupational or technical training in a course of not less than 4
months, under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. The
program requires the commission to give priority in granting Cal
Grant C awards to students pursuing occupational or technical
training in areas that meet at least 2 criteria. The program
requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit a report to the
Legislature on the outcomes of the Cal Grant C program on
or before April 1, 2015, and on or before April 1 of each
odd-numbered year thereafter.
This bill, among other things, would (1) rename these awards the
Competitive Cal Grant C awards, (2) set the maximum Competitive Cal
Grant C award amount at $2,462 for tuition and fees and $547 for
certain other costs, (3) establish an additional Competitive Cal
Grant C award in an annual amount not to exceed $2,462 for community
college students for occupational and technical training to cover
access costs, training-related costs, and tuition and fees, (4)
require the commission, instead of the Legislative Analyst's Office,
to submit a report on the outcome of the Competitive Cal Grant C
program on or before April 1, 2017, and on or before April 1 of each
odd-numbered year thereafter, and (5) establish a Cal Grant C
Entitlement award for access costs for community college students who
are enrolled in a for-credit certificate or credential instructional
program that is less than one academic year in length and that is an
occupational or technical training program identified by the
commission, as specified.
This bill would set the maximum Cal Grant C award amount at
$3,000, would authorize these awards to be used for institutional
charges and access costs, as defined, and would give priority, for
students seeking to enroll in a community college, to those students
pursuing occupational or technical training in industry sectors
determined by the California Community College Economic and Workforce
Development Program to be a high priority for the region
encompassing the college.
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. Section 69432 of the
Education Code is amended to read:
69432. (a) Cal Grant Program awards shall be known as "Cal Grant
A Entitlement Awards," "Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards," "Cal
Grant C Entitlement Awards, " "California Community
College Transfer Entitlement Awards," "Competitive Cal Grant A and B
Awards," "Cal "Competitive Cal Grant C
Awards," and "Cal Grant T Awards."
(b) Maximum award amounts for students at independent institutions
and for Cal Grant C and T awards shall be identified in the annual
Budget Act. Maximum award amounts for Cal Grant A and B awards for
students attending public institutions shall be referenced in the
annual Budget Act.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), and subdivision (c) of
Section 66021.2, commencing with the 2013-14 award year, the maximum
tuition award amounts for Cal Grant A and B awards for students
attending private for-profit and nonprofit postsecondary educational
institutions shall be as follows:
(A) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for new recipients attending
private for-profit postsecondary educational institutions.
(B) For the 2015-16 and 2016-17 award years, nine thousand
eighty-four dollars ($9,084) for new recipients attending private
nonprofit postsecondary educational institutions. For the 2017-18
award year and each award year thereafter, eight thousand fifty-six
dollars ($8,056) for new recipients attending private nonprofit
postsecondary educational institutions.
(2) The renewal award amount for a student whose initial award is
subject to a maximum award amount specified in this subdivision shall
be calculated pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of
Section 69433.
(3) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), new
recipients attending private for-profit postsecondary educational
institutions that are accredited by the Western Association of
Schools and Colleges as of July 1, 2012, shall have the same maximum
tuition award amounts as are set forth in subparagraph (B) of
paragraph (1).
SEC . 2. Section
69432.7 of the Education Code is amended to
read:
69432.7. As used in this chapter, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(a) An "academic year" is July 1 to June 30, inclusive. The
starting date of a session shall determine the academic year in which
it is included.
(b) "Access costs" means living expenses and expenses for
transportation, supplies, and books.
(c) "Award year" means one academic year, or the equivalent, of
attendance at a qualifying institution.
(d) "College grade point average" and "community college grade
point average" mean a grade point average calculated on the basis of
all college work completed, except for nontransferable units and
courses not counted in the computation for admission to a California
public institution of higher education that grants a baccalaureate
degree.
(e) "Commission" means the Student Aid Commission.
(f) "Enrollment status" means part- or full-time status.
(1) "Part time," for purposes of Cal Grant eligibility, means 6 to
11 semester units, inclusive, or the equivalent.
(2) "Full time," for purposes of Cal Grant eligibility, means 12
or more semester units or the equivalent.
(g) "Expected family contribution," with respect to an applicant,
shall be determined using the federal methodology pursuant to
subdivision (a) of Section 69506 (as established by Title IV of the
federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070
et seq.)) and applicable rules and regulations adopted by the
commission.
(h) "High school grade point average" means a grade point average
calculated on a 4.0 scale, using all academic coursework, for the
sophomore year, the summer following the sophomore year, the junior
year, and the summer following the junior year, excluding physical
education, Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), and remedial
courses, and computed pursuant to regulations of the commission.
However, for high school graduates who apply after their senior year,
"high school grade point average" includes senior year coursework.
(i) "Instructional program of not less than one academic year"
means a program of study that results in the award of an associate or
baccalaureate degree or certificate requiring at least 24 semester
units or the equivalent, or that results in eligibility for transfer
from a community college to a baccalaureate degree program.
(j) "Instructional program of not less than two academic years"
means a program of study that results in the award of an associate or
baccalaureate degree requiring at least 48 semester units or the
equivalent, or that results in eligibility for transfer from a
community college to a baccalaureate degree program.
(k) (1) "Maximum household income and asset levels" means the
applicable household income and household asset levels for
participants, including new applicants and renewing recipients, in
the Cal Grant Program, as defined and adopted in regulations by the
commission for the 2001-02 academic year, which shall be set pursuant
to the following income and asset ceiling amounts:
CAL GRANT PROGRAM INCOME CEILINGS
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Cal Grant B, |
| Cal Grant
|
| Cal Competitive C,|
| Grant A,
and
|
| C, and T Cal Grant B |
| A and T Entitlement C |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
|Dependent and Independent students with |
|dependents* |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
|Family Size |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Six or more $74,100 $40,700 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Five $68,700 $37,700 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Four $64,100 $33,700 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Three $59,000 $30,300 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Two $57,600 $26,900 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
|Independent |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Single, no $23,500 $23,500 |
|dependents |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Married $26,900 $26,900 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
*Applies to independent students with dependents other than a
spouse.
CAL GRANT PROGRAM ASSET CEILINGS
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
| Cal Grant |
| Cal Grant
B, |
| Cal Competitive C,|
| Grant A,
and
|
| C, and T Cal Grant B |
| A and T Entitlement C |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
|Dependent** $49,600 $49,600 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
|Independent $23,600 $23,600 |
+--------------------+-------------+---------------+
**Applies to independent students with dependents other than a
spouse.
(2) The commission shall annually adjust the maximum household
income and asset levels based on the percentage change in the cost of
living within the meaning of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of
Section 8 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution. The
maximum household income and asset levels applicable to a renewing
recipient shall be the greater of the adjusted maximum household
income and asset levels or the maximum household income and asset
levels at the time of the renewing recipient's initial Cal Grant
award. For a recipient who was initially awarded a Cal Grant for an
academic year before the 2011-12 academic year, the maximum household
income and asset levels shall be the greater of the adjusted maximum
household income and asset levels or the 2010-11 academic year
maximum household income and asset levels. An applicant or renewal
recipient who qualifies to be considered under the simplified needs
test established by federal law for student assistance shall be
presumed to meet the asset level test under this section. Before
disbursing any Cal Grant funds, a qualifying institution shall be
obligated, under the terms of its institutional participation
agreement with the commission, to resolve any conflicts that may
exist in the data the institution possesses relating to that
individual.
( l ) (1) "Qualifying institution" means an institution
that complies with paragraphs (2) and (3) and is any of the
following:
(A) A California private or independent postsecondary educational
institution that participates in the Pell Grant Program and in at
least two of the following federal student aid programs:
(i) Federal Work-Study Program.
(ii) Federal Stafford Loan Program.
(iii) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program.
(B) A nonprofit institution headquartered and operating in
California that certifies to the commission that 10 percent of the
institution's operating budget, as demonstrated in an audited
financial statement, is expended for purposes of institutionally
funded student financial aid in the form of grants, that demonstrates
to the commission that it has the administrative capacity to
administer the funds, that is accredited by the Western Association
of Schools and Colleges, and that meets any other state-required
criteria adopted by regulation by the commission in consultation with
the Department of Finance. A regionally accredited institution that
was deemed qualified by the commission to participate in the Cal
Grant Program for the 2000-01 academic year shall retain its
eligibility as long as it maintains its existing accreditation
status.
(C) A California public postsecondary educational institution.
(2) (A) The institution shall provide information on where to
access California license examination passage rates for the most
recent available year from graduates of its undergraduate programs
leading to employment for which passage of a California licensing
examination is required, if that data is electronically available
through the Internet Web site of a California licensing or regulatory
agency. For purposes of this paragraph, "provide" may exclusively
include placement of an Internet Web site address labeled as an
access point for the data on the passage rates of recent program
graduates on the Internet Web site where enrollment information is
also located, on an Internet Web site that provides centralized
admissions information for postsecondary educational systems with
multiple campuses, or on applications for enrollment or other program
information distributed to prospective students.
(B) The institution shall be responsible for certifying to the
commission compliance with the requirements of subparagraph (A).
(3) (A) The commission shall certify by November 1 of each year
the institution's latest official three-year cohort default rate and
graduation rate as most recently reported by the United States
Department of Education. For purposes of this section, the graduation
rate is the percentage of full-time, first-time degree or
certificate-seeking undergraduate students who graduate in 150
percent or less of the expected time to complete degree requirements
as most recently reported publicly in any format, including
preliminary data records, by the United States Department of
Education.
(B) For purposes of the 2011-12 academic year, an otherwise
qualifying institution with a three-year cohort default rate reported
by the United States Department of Education that is equal to or
greater than 24.6 percent shall be ineligible for initial and renewal
Cal Grant awards at the institution.
(C) For purposes of the 2012-13 academic year, and every academic
year thereafter, an otherwise qualifying institution with a
three-year cohort default rate that is equal to or greater than 15.5
percent, as certified by the commission on October 1, 2011, and every
year thereafter, shall be ineligible for initial and renewal Cal
Grant awards at the institution.
(D) (i) An otherwise qualifying institution that becomes
ineligible under this paragraph for initial and renewal Cal Grant
awards shall regain its eligibility for the academic year for which
it satisfies the requirements established in subparagraph (B), (C),
or (F), as applicable.
(ii) If the United States Department of Education corrects or
revises an institution's three-year cohort default rate or graduation
rate that originally failed to satisfy the requirements established
in subparagraph (B), (C), or (F), as applicable, and the correction
or revision results in the institution's three-year cohort default
rate or graduation rate satisfying those requirements, that
institution shall immediately regain its eligibility for the academic
year to which the corrected or revised three-year cohort default
rate or graduation rate would have been applied.
(E) An otherwise qualifying institution for which no three-year
cohort default rate or graduation rate has been reported by the
United States Department of Education shall be provisionally eligible
to participate in the Cal Grant Program until a three-year cohort
default rate or graduation rate has been reported for the institution
by the United States Department of Education.
(F) For purposes of the 2012-13 academic year, and every academic
year thereafter, an otherwise qualifying institution with a
graduation rate of 30 percent or less, as certified by the commission
pursuant to subparagraph (A), shall be ineligible for initial and
renewal Cal Grant awards at the institution, except as provided for
in subparagraph (H).
(G) Notwithstanding any other law, the requirements of this
paragraph shall not apply to institutions with 40 percent or less of
undergraduate students borrowing federal student loans, using
information reported to the United States Department of Education for
the academic year two years before the academic year in which the
commission is certifying the three-year cohort default rate or
graduation rate pursuant to subparagraph (A).
(H) Notwithstanding subparagraph (F), an otherwise qualifying
institution that maintains a three-year cohort default rate that is
less than 15.5 percent and a graduation rate above 20 percent for
students taking 150 percent or less of the expected time to complete
degree requirements, as certified by the commission pursuant to
subparagraph (A), shall be eligible for initial and renewal Cal Grant
awards at the institution through the 2016-17 academic year.
(I) The commission shall do all of the following:
(i) Notify initial Cal Grant recipients seeking to attend, or
attending, an institution that is ineligible for initial and renewal
Cal Grant awards under subparagraph (C) or (F) that the institution
is ineligible for initial Cal Grant awards for the academic year for
which the student received an initial Cal Grant award.
(ii) Notify renewal Cal Grant recipients attending an institution
that is ineligible for initial and renewal Cal Grant awards at the
institution under subparagraph (C) or (F) that the student's Cal
Grant award will be reduced by 20 percent, or eliminated, as
appropriate, if the student attends the ineligible institution in an
academic year in which the institution is ineligible.
(iii) Provide initial and renewal Cal Grant recipients seeking to
attend, or attending, an institution that is ineligible for initial
and renewal Cal Grant awards at the institution under subparagraph
(C) or (F) with a complete list of all California postsecondary
educational institutions at which the student would be eligible to
receive an unreduced Cal Grant award.
(iv) (I) Establish an appeal process for an otherwise qualifying
institution that fails to satisfy the three-year cohort default rate
and graduation rate requirements in subparagraphs (C) and (F),
respectively.
(II) The commission may grant an appeal for an academic year only
if the commission has determined the institution has a cohort size of
20 individuals or less and the cohort is not representative of the
overall institutional performance.
(m) "Satisfactory academic progress" means those criteria required
by applicable federal standards published in Title 34 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. The commission may adopt regulations defining
"satisfactory academic progress" in a manner that is consistent with
those federal standards.
SEC. 3. Section 69439 of the Education
Code is amended to read:
69439. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms
have the following meanings:
(1) "Career pathway" has the same meaning as set forth in Section
88620.
(2) "Economic security" has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 14005 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
(3) "Industry cluster" has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 88620.
(4) "Long-term unemployed" means, with respect to an award
applicant, a person who has been unemployed for more than 26 weeks at
the time of submission to the commission of his or her application.
(5) "Occupational or technical training" means that phase of
education coming after the completion of a secondary school program
and leading toward recognized occupational goals approved by the
commission.
(b) A Competitive Cal Grant C award shall be utilized
only for occupational or technical training in a course of not less
than four months. There shall be the same number of Competitive
Cal Grant C awards each year as were made in the 2000-01 fiscal
year. The maximum award amount and the total amount of funding shall
be determined each year in the annual Budget Act.
(c) The commission may use criteria it deems appropriate in
selecting students to receive grants for occupational or technical
training and shall give special consideration to the social and
economic situations of the students applying for these grants, giving
additional weight to disadvantaged applicants, applicants who face
economic hardship, and applicants who face particular barriers to
employment. Criteria to be considered for these purposes shall
include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Family income and household size.
(2) Student's or the students' parent's household status,
including whether the student is a single parent or child of a single
parent.
(3) The employment status of the applicant and whether the
applicant is unemployed, giving greater weight to the long-term
unemployed.
(d) The Competitive Cal Grant C award recipients shall
be eligible for renewal of their grants until they have completed
their occupational or technical training in conformance with terms
prescribed by the commission. A determination by the commission for a
subsequent award year that the program under which a
Competitive Cal Grant C award was initially awarded is no
longer deemed to receive priority shall not affect an award recipient'
s renewal. In no case shall the grants exceed two calendar years.
(e) Except as provided in subdivision (f),
Competitive Cal Grant C awards may be used
for institutional fees, charges, and other costs, including tuition,
plus shall be in an annual amount not to exceed two
thousand four hundred and sixty-two dollars ($2,462) for tuition and
fees and five hundred and forty-seven dollars ($547) to cover access
costs and training-related costs, such as special
clothing, local transportation, clothing and
required tools, equipment, supplies, books, and living
expenses. tools and equipment. In determining
the individual award amounts in this subdivision and subdivision
(f) , the commission shall take into account the financial
means available to the student to fund his or her course of study and
costs of attendance as well as other state and federal programs
available to the applicant.
(f) (1) To ensure alignment with the state's dynamic economic
needs, the commission, in consultation with appropriate state and
federal agencies, including the Economic and Workforce Development
Division of the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and the California Workforce Investment Board, shall
identify areas of occupational and technical training for which
students may utilize Cal Grant C awards. The commission, to the
extent feasible, shall also consult with representatives of the state'
s leading competitive and emerging industry clusters, workforce
professionals, and career technical educators, to determine which
occupational training programs and industry clusters should be
prioritized.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the areas of
occupational and technical training developed pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall be regularly reviewed and updated at least every five
years, beginning in 2012.
(B) By January 1, 2016, the commission shall update the priority
areas of occupational and technical training.
(3) (A) The
(f) (1) An additional Competitive Cal Grant C award not to exceed
an annual amount of two thousand four hundred and sixty-two dollars
($2,462) shall be provided to community college students for
occupational or technical training to cover access costs,
training-related costs, such as special clothing and required tools
and equipment, and tuition and fees. The award described in this
paragraph shall be reserved exclusively for students enrolled at
California Community Colleges. The commission shall establish a
second application deadline of September 2 for community college
students to apply for this award effective with the fall term or
semester of the 2017-2018 academic year.
(2) The Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges shall annually provide the commission with a regional
inventory of priority and emerging industry sectors and priority
occupational and technical training programs developed by each
community college economic and workforce development region that have
high employer demand, high projected employment growth, high earning
outcomes, or are part of a well-articulated career pathway to a job
or providing economic security.
(3) The commission shall do both of the following:
(A) Use the information it receives pursuant to paragraph (2) to
determine which occupational or technical training programs shall be
prioritized for an award pursuant to this subdivision and consistent
with subdivision (g).
(B) Publish, and maintain, on its Internet Web site an up to date
list of the priority and emerging industry sectors and occupational
and technical training programs that are in demand in each community
college economic and workforce development region.
(g) (1) The
commission shall give priority in granting Competitive
Cal Grant C awards to students pursuing occupational or technical
training in areas that meet two of the following criteria pertaining
to job quality:
(i)
(A) High employer need or demand for the specific
skills offered in the program.
(ii)
(B) High employment growth in the occupational field or
industry cluster for which the student is being trained.
(iii)
(C) High employment salary and wage projections for
workers employed in the occupations for which they are being trained.
(iv)
(D) The occupation or training program is part of a
well-articulated career pathway to a job providing economic security.
(B)
(2) To receive priority pursuant to
subparagraph (A), paragraph (1), at least one of
the criteria met shall be specified in clause (iii) or (iv)
of that subparagraph. subparagraph (C) or
(D) of paragraph (1).
(g) The commission shall determine areas of occupational or
technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f) in consultation with the Employment Development
Department, the Economic and Workforce Development Division of the
Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and
the California Workforce Investment Board using projections available
through the Labor Market Information Data Library. The commission
may supplement the analyses of the Employment Development Department'
s Labor Market Information Data Library with the labor market
analyses developed by the Economic and Workforce Development Division
of the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
and the California Workforce Investment Board, as well as the
projections of occupational shortages and skills gap developed by
industry leaders. The commission shall publish, and retain, on its
Internet Web site a current list of the areas of occupational or
technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f), and update this list as necessary.
(h) Using the best available data, the commission shall examine
the graduation rates and job placement data, or salary data, of
eligible programs. Commencing with the 2014-15 academic year, the
commission shall give priority to Competitive Cal Grant C
award applicants seeking to enroll in programs that rate high in
graduation rates and job placement data, or salary data.
data, including wage gain and initial earnings.
(i) (1) The commission shall consult with the Employment
Development Department, the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges, the California Workforce Investment
Board, and the local workforce investment boards to develop a plan
to publicize the
existence of the grant award program to California's long-term
unemployed to be used by those consulting agencies when they come in
contact with members of the population who are likely to be
experiencing long-term unemployment. The outreach plan shall use
existing administrative and service delivery processes making use of
existing points of contact with the long-term unemployed. The local
workforce investment boards are required to participate only to the
extent that the outreach efforts are a part of their existing
responsibilities under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(Public Law 105-220).
(2) The commission shall consult with the Workforce Services
Branch of the Employment Development Department, the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the California
Workforce Investment Board, and the local workforce investment boards
to develop a an outreach plan
to make students receiving that provides information
to students about new opportunities for grant assistance in the
Competitive Cal Grant C program and makes recipients of these
awards aware of job search and placement services available through
the Employment Development Department and the local workforce
investment boards. Outreach shall use both existing
administrative and service delivery processes making use of existing
points of contact with the students.
students, and new statewide and campus -based methods for
expanding the scope of outreach to students. The local
workforce investment boards are required to participate only to the
extent that the outreach efforts are a part of their existing
responsibilities under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(Public Law 105-220).
(j) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code,
the Legislative Analyst's Office commission
shall submit a report to the Legislature on the outcomes of the
Competitive Cal Grant C program on or before April 1,
2015, 2017, and on or before April 1 of
each odd-numbered year thereafter. This report shall include, but
not necessarily be limited to, information on all of the following:
(A) The age, gender, and segment of attendance for recipients in
two prior award years.
(B) The occupational and technical training program categories
prioritized.
(C) The number and percentage of students who received selection
priority as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).
priority.
(D) The extent to which recipients in these award years were
successfully placed in jobs that meet local, regional, or state
workforce needs.
(2) For the report due on or before April 1, 2015, the Legislative
Analyst's Office shall include data for two additional prior award
years and shall compare the mix of occupational and technical
training programs and institutions in which Cal Grant C award
recipients enrolled before and after implementation of subdivision
(f).
(3)
( 2) A report to be submitted pursuant to
this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795
of the Government Code.
SEC. 4. Section 69439.5 is added to the
Education Code , to read:
69439.5. (a) (1) A Cal Grant C Entitlement award shall be awarded
only for access costs for community college students who are
enrolled in a for-credit certificate or credential instructional
program that is less than one academic year in length and that is an
occupational or technical training program identified by the
commission as having high employer demand, high projected employment
growth, high earning outcomes, or as being part of a well-articulated
career pathway to a job providing economic security. For purposes of
this section, an academic year constitutes two semesters or 24
semester units.
(2) An award for access costs under this section shall be in an
annual amount not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000). This
amount may be adjusted in the annual Budget Act.
(b) A student is entitled to receive a Cal Grant C Entitlement
award, and the commission shall allocate that award pursuant to
Section 66021.2, if all of the following criteria are met:
(1) The student is a California resident.
(2) The student has submitted, pursuant to Section 69432.9, a
complete financial aid application, submitted or postmarked no later
than the third September 2 following high school graduation or its
equivalent.
(3) The student demonstrates financial need pursuant to Section
69433.
(4) The student attains a high school grade point average of at
least 2.0 on a four-point scale.
(5) The student is pursuing a for-credit certificate or credential
instructional program offered by a community college that is less
than one academic year in length.
(6) The student meets the general Cal Grant eligibility
requirements set forth in Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430).
SECTION 1. Section 69439 of the Education Code
is amended to read:
69439. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms
have the following meanings:
(1) "Career pathway" has the same meaning as set forth in Section
88620.
(2) "Economic security" has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 14005 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
(3) "Industry cluster" has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 88620.
(4) "Long-term unemployed" means, with respect to an award
applicant, a person who has been unemployed for more than 26 weeks at
the time of submission to the commission of his or her application.
(5) "Occupational or technical training" means that phase of
education coming after the completion of a secondary school program
and leading toward recognized occupational goals approved by the
commission.
(b) A Cal Grant C award shall be utilized only for occupational or
technical training in a course of not less than four months. There
shall be the same number of Cal Grant C awards each year as were made
in the 2000-01 fiscal year. The maximum award amount shall be three
thousand dollars ($3,000).
(c) The commission may use criteria it deems appropriate in
selecting students to receive grants for occupational or technical
training and shall give special consideration to the social and
economic situations of the students applying for these grants, giving
additional weight to disadvantaged applicants, applicants who face
economic hardship, and applicants who face particular barriers to
employment. Criteria to be considered for these purposes shall
include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Family income and household size.
(2) Student's or the students' parent's household status,
including whether the student is a single parent or child of a single
parent.
(3) The employment status of the applicant and whether the
applicant is unemployed, giving greater weight to the long-term
unemployed.
(d) The Cal Grant C award recipients shall be eligible for renewal
of their grants until they have completed their occupational or
technical training in conformance with terms prescribed by the
commission. A determination by the commission for a subsequent award
year that the program under which a Cal Grant C award was initially
awarded is no longer deemed to receive priority shall not affect an
award recipient's renewal. In no case shall the grants exceed two
calendar years.
(e) Cal Grant C awards may be used for institutional charges and
access costs, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 69432.7. In
determining the individual award amounts, the commission shall take
into account the financial means available to the student to fund his
or her course of study and costs of attendance as well as other
state and federal programs available to the applicant.
(f) (1) To ensure alignment with the state's dynamic economic
needs, the commission, in consultation with appropriate state and
federal agencies, including the Economic and Workforce Development
Division of the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and the California Workforce Investment Board, shall
identify areas of occupational and technical training for which
students may utilize Cal Grant C awards. The commission, to the
extent feasible, shall also consult with representatives of the state'
s leading competitive and emerging industry clusters, workforce
professionals, and career technical educators, to determine which
occupational training programs and industry clusters should be
prioritized.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the areas of
occupational and technical training developed pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall be regularly reviewed and updated at least every five
years, beginning in 2012.
(B) By January 1, 2016, the commission shall update the priority
areas of occupational and technical training.
(3) (A) The commission shall give priority in granting Cal Grant C
awards to students pursuing occupational or technical training in
areas that meet two of the following criteria pertaining to job
quality:
(i) High employer need or demand for the specific skills offered
in the program.
(ii) High employment growth in the occupational field or industry
cluster for which the student is being trained.
(iii) High employment salary and wage projections for workers
employed in the occupations for which they are being trained.
(iv) The occupation or training program is part of a
well-articulated career pathway to a job providing economic security.
(B) To receive priority pursuant to subparagraph (A), at least one
of the criteria met shall be specified in clause (iii) or (iv) of
that subparagraph.
(4) In addition to the priority given pursuant to paragraph (3)
for students seeking to enroll in a community college, the commission
shall give priority in granting Cal Grant C awards to students
pursuing occupational or technical training in industry sectors
determined by the California Community College Economic and Workforce
Development Program to be a high priority for the region
encompassing the college.
(g) The commission shall determine areas of occupational or
technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f) in consultation with the Employment Development
Department, the Economic and Workforce Development Division of the
Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and
the California Workforce Investment Board using projections available
through the Labor Market Information Data Library. The commission
may supplement the analyses of the Employment Development Department'
s Labor Market Information Data Library with the labor market
analyses developed by the Economic and Workforce Development Division
of the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
and the California Workforce Investment Board, as well as the
projections of occupational shortages and skills gap developed by
industry leaders. The commission shall publish, and retain, on its
Internet Web site a current list of the areas of occupational or
technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph (3)
of subdivision (f), and update this list as necessary.
(h) Using the best available data, the commission shall examine
the graduation rates and job placement data, or salary data, of
eligible programs. Commencing with the 2014-15 academic year, the
commission shall give priority to Cal Grant C award applicants
seeking to enroll in programs that rate high in graduation rates and
job placement data, or salary data.
(i) (1) The commission shall consult with the Employment
Development Department, the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges, the California Workforce Investment
Board, and the local workforce investment boards to develop a plan to
publicize the existence of the grant award program to California's
long-term unemployed to be used by those consulting agencies when
they come in contact with members of the population who are likely to
be experiencing long-term unemployment. The outreach plan shall use
existing administrative and service delivery processes making use of
existing points of contact with the long-term unemployed. The local
workforce investment boards are required to participate only to the
extent that the outreach efforts are a part of their existing
responsibilities under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(Public Law 105-220).
(2) The commission shall consult with the Workforce Services
Branch of the Employment Development Department, the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the California
Workforce Investment Board, and the local workforce investment boards
to develop a plan to make students receiving awards aware of job
search and placement services available through the Employment
Development Department and the local workforce investment boards.
Outreach shall use existing administrative and service delivery
processes making use of existing points of contact with the students.
The local workforce investment boards are required to participate
only to the extent that the outreach efforts are a part of their
existing responsibilities under the federal Workforce Investment Act
of 1998 (Public Law 105-220).
(j) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code,
the Legislative Analyst's Office shall submit a report to the
Legislature on the outcomes of the Cal Grant C program on or before
April 1, 2015, and on or before April 1 of each odd-numbered year
thereafter. This report shall include, but not necessarily be limited
to, information on all of the following:
(A) The age, gender, and segment of attendance for recipients in
two prior award years.
(B) The occupational and technical training program categories
prioritized.
(C) The number and percentage of students who received selection
priority as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).
(D) The extent to which recipients in these award years were
successfully placed in jobs that meet local, regional, or state
workforce needs.
(2) For the report due on or before April 1, 2015, the Legislative
Analyst's Office shall include data for two additional prior award
years and shall compare the mix of occupational and technical
training programs and institutions in which Cal Grant C award
recipients enrolled before and after implementation of subdivision
(f).
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
