During the current legislative session, CCA monitored multiple legislative proposals affecting higher education in California and helped get the following bills to the Governor.
Signed by the Governor
Excludes from the Field Act any building owned by the community college used as a residence for students attending a campus of a community college district, except upon a request by the community college district.
Requires the State Department of Social Services to update the CalFresh Data Dashboard on an annual basis and as additional data become available about the specified population.
Provides that there is a civic center at each and every community college within the state and authorizes the governing board of a community college district to authorize the use, by the community and organizations, of any civic center or other properties under the control of the governing board of the community college district, as provided.
Requires a district or school holding a college or career fair to notify each community college district within their overlapping jurisdiction of the event.
Requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs involving all three segments of public post-secondary education in California; and requires the evaluation to be completed by January 2025.
The requirement of the California College Promise fee waiver is that a student, who has enrolled in community college as a specified special part-or full-time student or dual enrollment high school pupil, be a first-time student.
Provides each student member of the governing board of a community college district an advisory vote.
Prohibits a student from being denied admission to a community college apprenticeship or internship training program because the student uses an individual tax identification number (instead of a social security number) for purposes of the background check required by the class or program.
On the Governor’s Desk
A nonresident, low-income student who is a resident of Mexico, who registers for lower division courses at a San Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association (SDICCCA) college, and resides within 45 miles of the California-Mexico border is exempt from the nonresident tuition fee; prohibits more than 200 students at each SDICCCA college from being exempted from payment of the nonresident tuition fee each academic year; and authorizes these students to be reported as resident Full Time Equivalent Students for state apportionment purposes.
Requires the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and if the Regents of the University of California adopt a resolution to make it applicable, to develop and include within a student’s first year, an orientation and a supplemental module of services and resources available for students who are veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States and members of the California National Guard.
Defines “underrepresented in higher education” for purposes of clarifying policies relating to a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP); requires the governing board of a community college district participating in a CCAP partnership to enroll high school pupils in any CCAP partnership course offered at a community college campus; and authorizes courses to be offered at the community college campus or the participating high school campus.
Grants the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges additional time to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature outlining a plan to implement a modern policing degree program.
Requires a classified employee placed on an involuntary leave of absence while the employee has criminal charges, an investigation, or an administrative matter pending, to receive full compensation for the period of involuntary leave if the matter is resolved in favor of the employee.
Requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the Trustees of the California State University, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to publish a report on the diversity of the student body and the governing board of their respective segments, as specified, for purposes of determining how representative the governing board is of the student body; and requires those reports to be submitted to the Legislature.
Authorizes the California State University (CSU) to award doctoral degrees statewide not duplicated from University of California doctoral degrees and satisfy certain requirements; requires a CSU campus seeking authorization to offer a doctoral degree pursuant to the bill to submit specified information on the proposed doctoral degree for review by the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, and approval by the Trustees of the California State University; and authorizes a proposed doctoral degree approved for implementation by the trustees be implemented at the CSU systemwide.
Deletes the requirement a student who is participating in the Learning-Aligned Employment Program must be from an underrepresented background to be eligible to participate in the program; deletes the prioritization for positions described; and requires participating campuses to prioritize eligible students from underrepresented backgrounds, as defined by the commission, for learning-aligned employment positions.
Requires the governing board of each community college district to establish policies for the repetition of credit courses offered by the community colleges in the district; requires these policies to include, but not be limited to, authorization for a student to repeat, no less than five times, a credit course for which the student previously received a grade indicating substandard work; requires, if the repeated course is a transfer-level mathematics or English course, the community college inform the student of available concurrent supports; and requires these policies to authorize a student to repeat, no less than three times, a credit course for which the student previously received a satisfactory grade and which the student is retaking for enrichment and skill-building purposes.
Requires the Board of Trustees of the California State University to grant an employee, in each one-year period commencing on the date leave is first taken, one leave of absence with pay for one semester of an academic year, or equivalent duration, following the birth of a child of the employee or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with the adoption or foster care of the child by the employee.
Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to report to the Legislature on how to improve outreach to high school students regarding pre-apprenticeship by January 1, 2026.
Requires an impartial third-party hearing officer to determine, on appeal, if a classified school or community college employee should be subject to disciplinary action, unless the exclusive representative and the school district or community college district enter into a collective bargaining agreement providing an alternative process.
Requires the rules adopted by the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees to require each campus president and either a vice president or vice chancellor to approve all sexual harassment settlements, require a report to the chancellor’s office and the Legislature on the number of sexual harassment complaints filed, the length of time taken to complete the investigative process, and the disposition of those cases, as specified, and prohibit the opportunity to retreat for specified employees who have been determined, as provided, to have committed sexual harassment or have violated the CSU Title IX sexual harassment policy.
The Governor has until October 14 to sign or veto. To stay up-to-date, visit CCA’s Legislation, Advocacy and Political Action page here.