Legislative Actions
California's community colleges are encouraged to take action on the following bills during the 2021-22 California legislative cycle. For questions about any of the bills or suggested actions, contact Andrew Martinez, Director of Government Relations, at amartinez@ccleague.org.
AB 1746
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.
AB 1752
Assembly Bill 1752
Author: Miguel Santiago
Title: Community Colleges: Part-Time Faculty Pay
League Position: OPPOSE
Click here to read the bill text
What does the bill do?
- Requires equal compensation between part-time and full-time faculty members.
- Does not provide funding to support the required increase in part-time faculty pay.
Why is this significant for community colleges?
- The bill does not contain any funding that will both support the goals of the legislation and reinforce state and local goals of community colleges.
- The bill could lead to cuts for programs relating to student success and closing achievement gaps, including waiving tuition fees, wrap-around tutoring services, and initiatives intended to alleviate student food and housing insecurity.
What is the ask?
Send a letter of opposition to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. For a template letter, click here. To submit your letters through the California Legislature's Position Letter Portal, click here.
AB 1505
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.
AB 102
Assembly Bill 102
Author: Assemblymember Chris Holden
Title: College and Career Access Pathways Partnerships
League Position: SUPPORT
Action due by: May 14, 2021 (Policy Deadline)
Click here to read the bill text
What does the bill do?
- AB 102 removes the sunset on CCAP partnerships allowing our colleges to plan for the future as they work with their K-12 partners.
- The current authorization for these programs has a sunset date of January 2027.
- AB 102 ensures the success of CCAP by making this authority permanent.
Why does it matter to the colleges and districts?
- Allows high school students who may not have as many opportunities to begin their college-level coursework
- It helps prepare students academically for their time in higher education and decreases their time to degree.
- Allows our colleges to partner with K-12 schools and create meaningful pathways for underrepresented student groups.
What is the ask?
Please write a letter of support to your legislators in support of this bill. For a template letter, click here. To find your California representative, click here.