California Senate Bill SB1359 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1359AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 28, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Senator Block FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to  amend Section 69431 of   add Section 66406.9 to  the Education Code, relating to  student financial aid.   public postsecondary education.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1359, as amended, Block.  Cal Grant Program.   Public postsecondary education: education materials: textbooks.   The Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the postsecondary education system in the state. These segments include the 3 public postsecondary segments: the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Private and independent postsecondary educational institutions constitute the other segment.   Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable.   Existing law urges textbook publishers to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to take specified actions with their respective academic senates, college and university bookstores, and faculty to promote the selection of textbooks that will result in cost savings to students.   This bill would require each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request each campus of the University of California, to identify in each published schedule of classes, as defined, the estimated total cost of required textbooks and other required educational materials for each course offered by the campus. By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.   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 these statutory provisions.   Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program), establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions.   This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the provision that establishes the Cal Grant Program.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program:  no   yes  . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 66406.9 is added to the   Education Code   , to read:   66406.9. (a) Each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University shall, and each campus of the University of California is requested to, clearly identify in each published schedule of classes the estimated total costs of required textbooks and other required educational materials for each course offered by the campus. (b) For purposes of this section, "schedule of classes" is a collection of available classes, course sections, or both, published in print or electronically, before the start of an academic term.   SEC. 2.   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.   SECTION 1.   Section 69431 of the Education Code is amended to read: 69431. There is hereby established the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, which may be referred to as the Cal Grant Program.