Every year, the League's government relations team provides districts and colleges with the necessary tools to take action on top-priority bills affecting community colleges. With the house of origin deadline behind us, hundreds of bills will now be heard in their respective policy committees. This creates a key opportunity for stakeholders to engage on legislation by weighing-in on bills cycling through the legislative process.
Assembly Bill 358 (Addis) - Community College Student Housing
AB 358 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis is a top-priority bill that would have a significant impact on addressing housing insecurity within the community college system. The bill would expediate the student housing construction process by exempting student housing architectural plans from the requirement to receive Division of the State Architect (DSA) approval previously established in the 1933 Field Act.
The Field Act has been beneficial in the construction of safe public buildings but has intentionally become a barrier for the construction of student housing. The approval process is notoriously backlogged creating exorbitant delays. The result of these delays is often rising construction costs, forcing colleges to scramble to find additional funding while students continue to lack housing options.
Currently the UC and CSU systems do not fall under the Field Act and are able to build housing through adherence to local ordinances. This high-priority bill would grant community colleges the same ability.
Where is the bill now? On June 7th, AB 358 successfully passed out of the Senate Education Committee with unanimous support and is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
What's next? The committee will analyze the fiscal impact of the legislation. In April, the Assembly Appropriations committee noted the cost-saving nature of the bill. It is likely that the Senate will have a similar analysis.
AB 1400 (Bryan) - Scholarships for HBCU Students
AB 1400 by Assemblymember Bryan would provide grants of up to $5000 for California community college students transferring to Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). In the 2021-22 academic year, 53 CCC transfer students attended 39 HBCUs. California does not currently have any HBCUs. Students seeking to attend a HBCU must go out of state, making them ineligible for state-based financial aid. AB 1400 would provide necessary financial support to students aiming to benefit from the unique, supportive environment of HBCUs, further empowering Black students to thrive academically, socially, and professionally.
If passed, this high-priority bill would redirect funds collected through the College Access Tax Credit Fund. Currently, these funds are distributed to such a large number of students that students each receive $1.50 of the funding. The redirection of funds created by AB 1400 would create more meaningful financial support to a specified group of qualifying students.
Where is the bill now? AB 1400 was referred to the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. It is awaiting a hearing in both committees.
What can I do to help?
The League encourages you to stay engaged and active on legislation by supporting policies that would aid your college or district, and opposing those that would cause harm. We are seeking support letters for both AB 358 and AB 1400.
If you would like to offer your support for AB 358 please send a position letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee stating your college or district's support for the bill and reach out to your local Senator and Assemblymember to urge their support.
If you would like to offer your support for AB 1400 please send a position letter to the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee stating your college or district's support for the bill and reach out to your local Senator and Assemblymember to urge their support.
League-provided resources, such as template letters and submission instructions, aim to ease this process and can be found in the "Legislative Actions" section of our website.
The League would like to thank the following colleges and districts for submitting support letters for AB 358 to the Senate Education Committee:
Antelope Valley Community College District
Chabot Las Positas Community College District
College of the Canyons
College of the Redwoods
Contra Costa Community College District
Kern Community College District
Monterey Peninsula Community College District
Rio Hondo College
San Bernardino Community College District
San Diego Community College District
San Jose-Evergreen Community College District
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Monica Community College District
Southwestern Community College District
Ventura County Community College District
Yuba Community College District
Authored By: Nune` Garipian
Nune` is the Senior Policy Advocate for the League. She has a passion and unique expertise for student facing bills.
