Bill Text: CA SB1071 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Bill 1071 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Public postsecondary education: Chancellor of the California Community Colleges: policy to award course credit for prior military education, training, and service.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-09-19 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 560, Statutes of 2018. [SB1071 Detail]

Download: California-2017-SB1071-Chaptered.html

Senate Bill No. 1071

CHAPTER 560

An act to add Section 66025.71 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

[ Approved by Governor September 19, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State September 19, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1071, Roth. Public postsecondary education: Chancellor of the California Community Colleges: policy to award course credit for prior military education, training, and service.

(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Under existing law, the board of governors appoints the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to serve as the chief executive officer of the segment. Existing law requires the chancellor to determine by July 1, 2015, for which courses credit should be awarded for prior military experience.

This bill would require, by September 1, 2019, the office of the chancellor, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, to develop a consistent policy to award military personnel and veterans who have an official Joint Services Transcript course credit for California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California State University General Education Breadth, or local community college general education requirements, as specified. The bill would also require the office of the chancellor and the academic senate to review and adjust this uniform policy to align it with policies of other public postsecondary educational institutions.

The bill would require, by December 31, 2020, each community college district to have a policy consistent with the policy developed by the chancellor. The bill would require each community college campus to post on its Internet Web site the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this bill.

Because this bill would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program.

(2) 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, except that specified funding provided for community college districts shall be used to directly offset any mandated costs.

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

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

SECTION 1.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a consistent policy for awarding course credit for prior military education, training, and service for general education within the California Community Colleges. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, consider, when adopting the consistent policy, granting credit to a student who has an official Joint Services Transcript containing courses that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education with full descriptions and credit recommendations.

(b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) California is home to the nation’s largest veteran population, which totals over 1,800,000, with that number continuing to grow by approximately 25,000 annually.

(2) More than 90 percent of California’s veterans who pursue a postservice educational path will attend one of California’s 114 community colleges, with 50 percent of those veteran students applying earned educational benefits toward their college educations.

(3) Approximately 70,000 veterans and active duty service members are currently enrolled at campuses of the California Community Colleges.

(4) The lack of a consistent policy for awarding course credit for prior military education, training, and service often requires military personnel and veterans to repeat or retake courses they have already taken while in the military, ultimately serving as an academic and financial barrier for students enrolling in California Community Colleges and wasting the valuable GI Bill benefits that our veterans receive.

SEC. 2.

Section 66025.71 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 66025.7, to read:

66025.71.

(a) The Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, shall do both of the following:

(1) By September 1, 2019, develop a consistent policy to award military personnel and veterans who have an official Joint Services Transcript containing courses that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education with full descriptions and credit recommendations, course credit for California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California State University General Education Breadth, or local community college general education requirements, as appropriate for the student’s needs, in a course with subject matter similar to that of his or her military education, training, and service.

(2) Periodically review and adjust the policy developed pursuant to this subdivision to align it with policies of other public postsecondary educational institutions.

(b) By December 31, 2020, each community college district shall have a policy consistent with the policy developed by the chancellor pursuant to subdivision (a) to assess Joint Services Transcripts for the awarding of course credit.

(c) Each community college campus shall post on its Internet Web site the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this section.

SEC. 3.

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code, except that funding provided for community college districts pursuant to Section 84750.4 shall be used to directly offset any mandated costs.