Sacramento, CA – Earning a degree at California community colleges will no longer be financially out of reach for students throughout the state, if the Governor signs the budget sent to him by both the California State Assembly and State Senate today.
“The budget we delivered to the Governor today is a huge win for aspiring college students in California,” said Assemblymember Santiago. “The exorbitant cost of higher education will continue to deepen the income inequality so many Californians are experiencing today, unless we do something about it. This is our chance to open the door to new opportunities for countless students, and I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly for seeing it through.”
The measure includes nearly $48 million to provide a second year of tuition-free community college for all first-time students who sign up for a full course load. The allocation expands a fund created by AB 19, authored by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), which provided one year of tuition-free community college starting in 2018.
Santiago also authored AB 2 this year, a bill that would create policy parameters around the resources allocated in the budget for tuition-free community college. That bill passed the Assembly earlier this month with bipartisan support, and allows institutions to grant exemptions to the full-time rule for certain students with disabilities.
AB 2 is joint-authored by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), and Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton). It is co-authored by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-Arleta).
The budget bill now heads to Governor Newsom’s desk for his signature, and AB 2 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee in the coming weeks.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly’s Communications and Conveyance Committee, and a member of both the Assembly Public Safety Committee and the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.
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