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.