California Senate Bill SB957 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 957AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 6, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Senator Price (Coauthor: Senator Hancock) FEBRUARY 5, 2010 An act to amend Section 69439 of the Education Code, relating to student financial aid. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 957, as amended, Price. Student financial aid: Cal Grant C awards. Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Act, establishes the Cal Grant C Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under this program. The act requires that a Cal Grant C award be used only for occupational or technical training, as defined, in a course of not less than 4 months. The act requires the commission, after consultation with state and federal agencies, to determine the areas of occupational or technical training for which Cal Grant C awards shall be awarded. This bill would require the Student Aid Commission, in cooperation with specified entities and persons, to develop  ,  and regularly  review and update  at least every 5 years,  the areas of occupational or technical training for which students may utilize Cal Grant C awards  and   . The bill  would require the commission to give priority in granting the awards to students pursuing occupational or technical training in areas that meet specified criteria.  The bill would require the commission to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, containing specified data on the outcomes of the Cal Grant C program, on or before April 1, 2014, and on or before April 1 of each even-numbered year thereafter.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 69439 of the Education Code is amended to read: 69439. (a) A Cal Grant C award shall be utilized only for occupational or technical training in a course of not less than four months. There shall be the same number of Cal Grant C awards each year as were made in the 2000-01 fiscal year. The maximum award amount and the total amount of funding shall be determined each year in the annual Budget Act. (b) "Occupational or technical training" means that phase of education coming after the completion of a secondary school program and leading toward recognized occupational goals approved by the commission. (c) The commission may use criteria it deems appropriate in selecting students with occupational talents to receive grants for occupational or technical training. (d) The Cal Grant C recipients shall be eligible for renewal of their grants until they have completed their occupational or technical training in conformance with terms prescribed by the commission. In no case shall the grants exceed two calendar years. (e) Cal Grant C awards shall be for institutional fees, charges, and other costs, including tuition, plus training-related costs, such as special clothing, local transportation, required tools, equipment, supplies, and books. In determining the amount of grants and training-related costs, the commission shall take into account other state and federal programs available to the applicant. (f) (1) To ensure alignment with the state's dynamic economic needs, the commission, in consultation with appropriate state and federal  agencies, employers and businesses, representatives of organized labor, and occupational and technical training providers, shall develop and regularly update areas of occupational and technical training for which students may utilize Cal Grant C awards.   agencies, shall develop areas of occupational and technical training for which students may utilize Cal Grant C awards. The commission shall also consult with nongovernmental stakeholders that develop or provide workforce training or employ graduates of occupational and technical training programs for this purpose.   (2) The areas of occupational and technical training developed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be regularly reviewed and updated at least every five years, beginning in 2011.   (2)   (3)  The commission shall give priority in granting Cal Grant C awards to students pursuing occupational or technical training in areas that meet at least two of the following criteria: (A) High employment need. (B) High employment salary or wage projections. (C) High employment growth. (g) The commission shall determine areas of occupational or technical training that meet the criteria described in paragraph  (2)   (3)  of subdivision (f) in consultation with the Employment Development Department using projections available through the Labor Market Information Data Library.  (h) The commission shall submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature on the outcomes of the Cal Grant C program on or before April 1, 2014, and on or before April 1 of each even-numbered year thereafter. This report shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, information on the age, gender, segment of attendance, the occupational and technical training program categories prioritized, and the number and percentage of students who received selection priority as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).