AB 1037: Postsecondary education: student financial aid: Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission to administer state student financial aid programs, including, among other programs, the Cal Grant Program, the Assumption Program of Loans for Education, and the Middle Class Scholarship Program.

Existing law also requires that a person, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 200102 academic year, and who, if he or she is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed a prescribed affidavit, is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University.

Existing law, known as the California Dream Act of 2011, provides that a student attending the California State University, the California Community Colleges, or the University of California who is exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the provision described above is eligible to receive a scholarship derived from nonstate funds received, for the purpose of scholarships, by the public postsecondary educational segment at which he or she is a student.

This bill would establish, commencing with the 201819 academic year, the Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. The bill would require a participating student, in order to receive a grant award under the program, among other requirements, to be a recipient of a Cal Grant B award; to be enrolled as a student at a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges, or at an independent institution of higher education, as defined; and to perform a minimum of 300 hours of community service or volunteer work in each academic year for which a grant is provided, as specified. to perform at least 100 hours per quarter or 150 hours per semester of community or volunteer service, as appropriate.

The bill would specify the amount of the grants to be awarded under the program, and would require that the grants awarded under this program not offset or replace any other source of grant aid, as specified. The bill would limit to 2,500 the number of eligible students simultaneously receiving grants under the program, as specified. The bill would specify the eligibility requirements for students participating in the program, including the submission of a California Dream Act application to the commission and the meeting of all of the requirements for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition as described above. The bill would also specify the requirements for the community service or volunteer work or volunteer service performed by participating students to be applied toward the earning of grant awards under the program.