69510-69519
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 69510-69519
69510. The Student Aid Commission shall be composed of the following 15 members: (a) One representative from public, proprietary, or nonprofit postsecondary schools located in California. (b) One representative from a California independent college or university. (c) One representative each from the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. (d) Two members each of whom shall be a student enrolled in a California postsecondary educational institution at the time of appointment, and shall be enrolled in a California postsecondary educational institution for the duration of the term. A student member who graduates from an institution with no more than six months of his or her term remaining shall be permitted to serve for the remainder of the term. (e) Three public members. (f) One representative from a California secondary school. (g) Two representatives appointed by the Senate Rules Committee. (h) Two representatives appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. 69511. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), each member of the commission shall have a four-year term; provided, that members appointed pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 69510 shall have terms of two academic years. (b) The term of one member appointed pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 69510 and the term of one member appointed pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 69510, effective January 1, 1991, shall be for five years. Each subsequent term for members appointed pursuant to this subdivision shall be for four years. (c) At no time shall both student representatives be enrolled in the same segment of postsecondary education in California. For purposes of this subdivision, each postsecondary education program listed in subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Section 69510 is a segment of postsecondary education in California. (d) Appointment to the commission of members appointed pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 69510 shall be made by the Governor subject to confirmation by the Senate. (e) Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointment of a person who will have the same status as the predecessor of the appointee. The appointee shall hold office only for the balance of the unexpired term. (f) Each member of the commission shall receive a stipend of one hundred dollars ($100) for each day in which he or she attends any meeting of the commission or any meeting of any committee or subcommittee of the commission, of which committee or subcommittee he or she is a member, and which committee or subcommittee meeting is conducted for the purpose of carrying out the powers and duties of the commission. In addition, each member shall receive his or her actual and necessary traveling expenses incurred in the course of his or her duties. (g) Whenever by the provisions of any act of Congress a program of scholarships or grants for undergraduate students is established which permits administration of the program within a state by a state agency, the Student Aid Commission, as established by Section 69510, shall administer the act within the state if the Governor and the Student Aid Commission, by a majority vote of its entire membership, determine that the participation by the state in the federal scholarship or grant program under the act would not interfere with or jeopardize the continuation of the scholarship program established under Sections 69530 to 69547, inclusive. The commission shall constitute the state commission on federal scholarships or grants and is hereby empowered to formulate a plan for development and administration of any such federal scholarship or grant program within the state. Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the commission is hereby vested with all necessary power and authority to cooperate with the government of the United States, or any agency or agencies thereof, in the administration of any act of Congress establishing a scholarship or grant program and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder. Before adopting a state plan, the Student Aid Commission, acting as the state commission on federal scholarships or grants, shall hold public hearings as provided in the California Administrative Procedure Act. 69511.5. (a) Notwithstanding Section 69511, the Governor shall appoint each student member of the Student Aid Commission pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 69510 from the persons nominated in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (b). (b) For each student member of the commission, the appropriate student organization may submit a list of nominees. The list shall specify not less than three and not more than five nominees. The appropriate student organization for each segment shall be a composite group of at least five representative student government associations, as determined by the commission. (c) The student member appointed to the commission shall not be enrolled in the same segment as the outgoing student member or in the same segment of the other sitting student member. (d) Participating student organizations designated in subdivision (b) shall inform students within their respective segment of pending student vacancies on the commission. (e) The person appointed as a student member of the Student Aid Commission pursuant to this section shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate as required in subdivision (d) of Section 69511. 69512. The members of the commission shall annually select a chairperson from the members of the commission. 69513. The commission shall appoint a director who shall be the chief executive officer for the commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The Legislature hereby requests the commission to designate that executive officer as the person holding the position confidential to it, within the meaning of subdivision (e) of Section 4 of Article VII of the Constitution. The commission may employ other employees as it deems necessary to carry out its functions under this chapter. 69513.1. The commission may delegate to the director any power, duty, purpose, function, or jurisdiction that the commission may lawfully delegate, including the authority to enter into and sign contracts on behalf of the commission. The director may redelegate any of those powers, duties, purposes, functions, or jurisdictions to his or her designee, unless by statute, or rule or regulation, the director is expressly required to act personally. 69513.5. In no event shall the director of the commission, any employee of the commission, or any individual retained by the commission serve as chairperson or a member of an advisory committee of the commission. This prohibition shall include, but not be limited to, all advisory committees established by statute and all advisory committees established by the commission. 69514. The commission shall do all of the following: (a) Report, on or before April 1 of each year, statistical data examining the impact and effectiveness of state-funded programs. The commission shall utilize common criteria in determining the impact of these programs, and shall have the authority to obtain any data from postsecondary educational institutions necessary for the reports. To the extent practicable, this report shall specifically note the number and the demographic characteristics of the students who qualify for a Cal Grant award based on obtaining high school graduation or its equivalent pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 69433.9. (b) Collect and disseminate data concerning the financial resources and needs of students and potential students, and the scope and impact of existing state, federal, and institutional student aid programs. (c) Report, on or before April 1 of each year, the aggregate financial need of individuals seeking access to postsecondary education and the degree to which current student aid programs meet this legitimate financial need. (d) Develop and report annually the distribution of funds and awards among income groups, ethnic groups, grade point average levels, and postsecondary education segments. (e) Prepare and disseminate information regarding the criteria utilized in distributing available student aid funds. (f) Be authorized to expend funds for the purpose of disseminating information about all institutional, state, and federal student aid programs to potential applicants. This distribution of information shall primarily focus on potential applicants with the greatest financial need. 69514.5. (a) The Community College Student Financial Aid Outreach Program is hereby established. The commission shall, in consultation with the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, develop and administer this program for the purpose of providing financial aid training to high school and community college counselors and advisors who work with students planning to attend or attending a community college. This training shall also address the specific needs of all of the following: (1) Community college students intending to transfer to a four-year institution of higher education. (2) Foster youth. (3) Students with disabilities. (b) The program shall provide specialized information on financial aid opportunities available to community college students, with a particular focus on students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university. The commission shall work in collaboration with the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and other segments of higher education to develop and distribute this specialized information to assist community college students who are planning to transfer to a four-year college or university. Each year, the program shall offer financial aid workshops for high school and community college counselors, targeted for students planning to attend a community college or to transfer from a community college to a four-year institution of higher education. The program shall assist community college counselors in conducting student and family workshops that provide general information about financial aid and technical assistance in completing financial aid forms. (c) The program shall concentrate its efforts on high schools and community colleges that are located in geographic areas that have a high percentage of low-income families. 69515. As used in this division, "commission" means the Student Aid Commission created by this article. 69517. (a) The Student Aid Commission, in consultation with an advisory committee of students and representatives of postsecondary institutions, may make adjustments to award selection procedures and selection criteria. In determining adjustments, the commission shall consider at least all of the following factors: (1) The impact of the adjustments on the distribution of funds and awards among income groups, ethnic groups, and grade point average levels. (2) The impact of the adjustments on the distribution of funds and awards among postsecondary education segments. (3) The costs of implementing proposed adjustments. (4) The availability of financial aid from other sources for students who qualify for an award. (b) The commission may also consider the impact of inflation in the proposed adjustments pursuant to subdivision (a). (c) In proposing changes to the procedures and criteria for award selection that would result in a substantive change in the recipient population, the commission shall submit the proposed changes for public review and comment in accordance with procedures established in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. 69517.5. The Student Aid Commission shall, with the assistance of the Attorney General's office, seek refunds on any awards to students made under this part that resulted from the student or his or her parents, or both, reporting information concerning their status incorrectly, with the incorrect information leading to the establishment of the student's financial eligibility to receive an award. 69518. (a) By September 15 of each fiscal year, the Student Aid Commission shall submit budget change proposals to the Department of Finance for inclusion in the Governor's Budget prepared pursuant to Section 12 of Article IV of the California Constitution. (b) The budget change proposals submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the impact of any proposed adjustments in the distribution of funds and awards. (c) Any supporting materials prepared for the Student Aid Commission's consideration and public review and comment pursuant to this section, including, when it becomes available, data pertaining to the impact of any proposed adjustments on the distribution of funds and awards among income groups, ethnic groups, grade point average levels, and postsecondary education segments, shall be incorporated within the expenditure plan. (d) If the Student Aid Commission proposes, in its budget change proposals, adjustments to the maximum grant, number of grants, and the income ceiling for grant awards made pursuant to Section 69532, at least the following factors shall be considered in determining the appropriate adjustments: (1) The impact of inflation. (2) The availability of financial aid from other sources for students who would qualify for a grant award. (3) Any changes in the level of educational support provided to students at public colleges and universities in the state. (4) The impact of proposed adjustments in the maximum grant and in the income ceiling upon the utilization of public and private postsecondary educational institutions. (5) The number of applicants eligible to receive an award in the previous year who did not receive an award in the previous year. 69519. (a) The commission, through an interagency agreement with the State Department of Social Services, currently operates a federally funded scholarship program that provides grant aid to provide access to California's current and former foster youth to postsecondary education. Funds provided through an appropriation by the Legislature shall be supplemental to funds provided by the federal government and are designated to ensure program availability in the absence of and prior to the annual receipt of federal funds for this purpose. (b) Funds provided for this program shall be used to assist students who are current and former foster youth, for career and technical training or traditional college courses. The commission shall operate this program in accordance with the program instructions provided by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the program guidelines developed by the State Department of Social Services. (c) The total amount of funding and the amount of individual awards shall depend upon the amount of federal funding provided in addition to state funding. The commission, in conjunction with the State Department of Social Services, shall determine the individual award amounts and total number of students awarded on an annual basis as the amount of total annual funding is determined.