Assembly Bill 1746
Authors: Assemblymember Jose Medina and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty
Title: The Cal Grant Reform Act

League Position: SUPPORT
Action due by: 12:00 p.m. on June 24, 2022 (Committee Deadline)
Click here to read the bill text

What does the bill do?

• Streamlines and consolidates the existing Cal Grant programs into a Cal Grant 2 Program for community college students and a Cal Grant 4 Program for students attending four-year colleges. 
• Expands access to the Cal Grant program by aligning eligibility for the Cal Grant with eligibility for the federal Pell Grant.
• Provides an automatic inflationary adjustment to the Cal Grant award (starting at $1,656) for community college students. 
• Removes the GPA, age, and time-out-of-high-school eligibility requirements for community college students. 
• Extends the financial aid application deadline to September 2nd (instead of March 2nd) for community college students. 

Why is this significant for community colleges?

• AB 1746 proposes the Cal Grant Equity Framework, using the total cost of attendance as the college affordability benchmark rather than solely tuition.
• The extension of the application deadline and elimination of current GPA requirements would mean that our returning and non-traditional students would have greater access to financial aid. 
• According to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), under the bill’s proposed Cal Grant 2 program, over 109,000 additional community students would receive a Cal Grant— including 73,000 Latino students, 38,000 student parents, and 9,400 Black students.
• The bill recognizes that the cost to attend a CCC is not just tuition and that the total cost of attendance needs to be addressed as the state recovers financially.

What is the ask?

• Send a letter of support to the  Senate Education Committee urging their support for the bill. For a template letter, click here. To submit your letters through the California Legislature's Position Letter Portal, click here.

Assembly Bill 1505
Author: Freddie Rodriguez
Title: Community Colleges: Faculty Obligation Number

League Position: OPPOSE
Click here to read the bill text

What does the bill do?

• Would require the minimum number of full-time faculty a college must hire to be set at the hiring level of Fall 2023 and be adjusted annually thereafter.
• Does not provide additional funding for districts to responsibly hire the additional faculty required under the provisions of the bill.
• Will enforce a minimum level of staffing levels regardless of enrollment or current year funding.

Why is this significant for community colleges?

• Chooses an arbitrary faculty level number based on Fall 2023 staffing levels without regard to local and state priorities.
• The minimum number of faculty required to be hired under the legislation will not decrease in cases of declining enrollment, funding levels or other fiscal challenges impacting districts.
• Ignores changes to educational modalities regarding online education relating to the global pandemic.

What is the ask?

Send a letter of opposition to the Senate Committee on Education. For a template letter, click here. To submit your letters through the California Legislature's Position Letter Portal, click here.