Bill Text: CA AB540 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 540 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Postsecondary education: student financial aid: California Dreamer Service Incentive Grant Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-04 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 513, Statutes of 2019. [AB540 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB540-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 540

Introduced by Assembly Member Limón

February 13, 2019

An act to add Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 69438) to Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 540, as introduced, Limón. Postsecondary education: student financial aid: Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission to administer state student financial aid programs, including, among other programs, the Cal Grant Program, the Assumption Program of Loans for Education, and the Middle Class Scholarship Program.

Existing law also requires that a person, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001–02 academic year, and who, if the person is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed a prescribed affidavit, is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University.

Existing law, known as the California Dream Act of 2011, provides that a student attending the California State University, the California Community Colleges, or the University of California who is exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the provision described above is eligible to receive a scholarship derived from nonstate funds received, for the purpose of scholarships, by the public postsecondary educational segment that the student attends.

This bill would establish, commencing with the 2020–21 academic year, the Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. The bill would require a participating student, in order to receive a grant award under the program, among other requirements, to be a recipient of a Cal Grant B award; to be enrolled as a student at a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges, or at an independent institution of higher education, as defined; and to perform at least 100 hours per quarter or 150 hours per semester of community or volunteer service, as provided.

The bill would specify the amount of the grants to be awarded under the program, and would require that the grants awarded under this program not offset or replace any other source of grant aid. The bill would limit to 2,500 the number of eligible students simultaneously receiving grants under the program. The bill would specify the eligibility requirements for students participating in the program, including submitting of a California Dream Act application to the commission and meeting all of the requirements for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition as described above. The bill would also specify the requirements for the community or volunteer service performed by participating students to be applied toward the earning of grant awards under the program.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 69438) is added to Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

Article 5.5. Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program

69438.

The Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program is hereby established, commencing with the 2020–21 academic year, under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. As used in this article, “program” means the Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program established by this section.

69438.3.

(a) In order to receive a grant under the program, a student shall be a recipient of a Cal Grant B award, and shall perform at least 100 hours per quarter or 150 hours per semester of community or volunteer service, as appropriate. The community or volunteer service shall be performed through organizations meeting the requirements of Section 69438.7. The organizations shall report the hours of service performed by participating students to the commission in a timely manner.

(b) A participating student is eligible to receive a grant under the program for a maximum of eight semesters or 12 quarters. Once a student has met the minimum service requirement, the student is eligible for an award of up to one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per semester or one thousand dollars ($1,000) per quarter. The amount of a grant made to an individual participating student shall be calculated as follows:

(1) Fifty percent of the unmet need of up to one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) of a student enrolled in a semester-based system, or 33.33 percent of the unmet need of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) of a student enrolled in a quarter-based system, as appropriate, shall be multiplied as follows:

(A) For half-time students, multiplied by five tenths (0.5).

(B) For three-fourths full-time students, multiplied by seventy-five hundredths (0.75).

(2) If a student is eligible to receive a grant under the program, the minimum amount awarded in a semester or quarter shall be determined as follows:

(A) For half-time students, one hundred fifty dollars ($150).

(B) For three-fourths full-time students, two hundred twenty-five dollars ($225).

(c) A grant awarded under the program shall not offset or replace any other source of grant aid, including, but not necessarily limited to, institutional aid and scholarships.

(d) No more than 2,500 students who are eligible through meeting all of the requirements of Section 69438.5 shall simultaneously participate in the program. When award slots are available, grants under the program shall be awarded to eligible students on a first-come-first-served basis, with priority established in order of the date and time of the student’s submission of a completed California Dream Act application pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69438.5.

69438.5.

A student is eligible to participate in the program if the student meets all of the following requirements:

(a) The student has completed, and submitted to the commission, a California Dream Act application.

(b) The student meets all of the requirements for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition pursuant to Section 68130.5 or pursuant to a similar provision adopted by the Regents of the University of California.

(d) The student is determined by the commission to have unmet need.

(e) The student is enrolled at a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges, or at an independent institution of higher education, as defined in Section 66010, that is a qualifying institution as defined in Section 69432.7.

(f) The student agrees to perform the number of hours of community or volunteer service required, pursuant to Section 69438.3, for participation in the program.

69438.7.

In order for the community or volunteer service performed by a participating student to be applied to the minimum hours required for eligibility for this program, the organization and service shall meet all of the following requirements, as determined by the commission:

(a) The organization shall register with the commission, and report the service hours of the participating students.

(b) The organization shall be one of the following:

(1) A federal, state, or local governmental entity.

(2) A qualifying institution as defined in Section 69432.7.

(3) An organization exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(c) The community or volunteer service performed by the participating student is not advocacy of a political, social, or religious nature.

(d) The community or volunteer service is related to the participating student’s field of study, or is in furtherance of community service or a community need.