AB 3089: Student financial aid: Chafee grant awards.

Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the state agency primarily responsible for the administration and coordination of student financial aid programs at California postsecondary educational institutions. Existing federal law establishes the Chafee Educational and Training Vouchers program for the purposes of providing financial aid to current and former foster youth who are attending qualifying postsecondary educational institutions. Existing law provides that the Student Aid Commission, through an interagency agreement with the State Department of Social Services, currently operates the program in California, and, commencing with the 201718 award year, requires the commission to make a new Chafee grant award to a student only if the student attends specified qualifying institutions. Commencing with the 201819 award year, and contingent upon an appropriation of sufficient funds in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, existing law adds the condition that the student not be 26 years of age or older by July 1 of the award year in order to receive a Chafee grant award. Existing law requires the commission to annually report to the Legislature specified information regarding Chafee grant awards for the preceding award year, including the number of students that apply to receive the Chafee grant award, and the number of, and age of, students paid through the program.

Commencing with the 201819 award year, this bill would authorize the commission and the State Department of Social Services to expend up to $80,000, of any moneys appropriated by the Legislature to expand the Chafee Educational and Training Vouchers Program age eligibility of former foster youth up to 26 years of age, for specified outreach purposes to newly eligible former foster youth who are at least 23 years of age, but are not yet 26 years of age for the 201819 to 202021, inclusive, fiscal years. By authorizing moneys previously appropriated to be expended for a different purpose, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the commission to include as part of its annual report to the Legislature the amount spent on outreach and education efforts and the types of activities that were funded, as specified.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.