AB 2184

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Expanded 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 these awards for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law requires a Cal Grant C award to be used only for occupational or technical training in a course of not less than 4 months. Existing law requires the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount to be determined each year in the annual Budget Act. This bill, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, would set, commencing with the 2025–26 award year, the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount at no less than double the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount provided for the 2023–24 award year. (2) Existing law, the Cal Grant Reform Act, revises and recasts the provisions establishing and governing the existing Cal Grant Program into a new Cal Grant Program. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt emergency regulations to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act. Existing law requires the new Cal Grant Program to include a Cal Grant 2 Program with eligibility requirements, as specified. Existing law requires the Cal Grant 2 award to include an access award, covering nontuition expenses, of no less than the maximum per-student amount provided in the 2020–21 award year, as specified. Existing law requires, as a continuation of the Cal Grant C Program, an otherwise eligible student enrolled in a qualifying occupational and technical training program who would have been eligible for aid under the Cal Grant C Program, to be eligible to receive a prorated Cal Grant award as specified in the Budget Act. Existing law specifies that the act becomes operative only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the act. This bill would require the prorated Cal Grant award and the per-student Cal Grant 2 access award amounts to be no less than double the maximum award amounts provided for the 2023–24 award year.