Student government: students qualifying for exemption from nonresident tuition: California Community Colleges: governing board membership.

(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Existing law exempts a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges if certain requirements are met. Those requirements include that the person has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, has graduated from a California high school or has attained the equivalent thereof, has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001–02 academic year, and, if the person is without lawful immigration status, has filed a certain affidavit. This bill would add a provision to the Donahoe Higher Education Act that would provide that any student, including a person without lawful immigration status, or a person who is exempt from nonresident tuition, as described above, may serve in any capacity in student government at the California State University or the California Community Colleges and receive any grant, scholarship, fee waiver, or reimbursement for expenses that is connected with that service to the full extent consistent with federal law. The University of California would be requested to comply with this provision. This bill would find and declare that the amendments to the Donahoe Higher Education Act described above are state laws within the meaning of a specified federal provision. (2) Existing law requires the governing board of each community college district to order the inclusion within the membership of the governing board of one or more nonvoting students who are residents of California, as determined pursuant to specified provisions of existing law, are enrolled in a community college of the district, and chosen by students enrolled in a college of the district in accordance with procedures prescribed by the governing board. This bill would eliminate the requirement that a nonvoting student member of the governing board be a resident of California.