Postsecondary education benefits: children of deported or voluntarily departed parents.

(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public higher education in the state. Existing law exempts specified students from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University. This bill would additionally exempt a student who is a United States citizen who resides in a foreign country, and who meets all of the following requirements, from nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University: (A) demonstrates financial need for the exemption; (B) has a parent who has been deported or was permitted to depart voluntarily; (C) moved abroad as a result of that deportation or voluntary departure; (D) lived in California immediately before moving abroad; (E) attended a public or private secondary school in the state for 3 or more years; and (F) upon enrollment, will be in his or her first academic year as a matriculated student in California public higher education, as defined, will be living in California, and will file an affidavit with the institution stating that he or she intends to establish residency in California as soon as possible. The bill would request the regents to enact regulations and procedures to exempt similarly situated students of the University of California from nonresident tuition. This bill would incorporate changes proposed by both this bill and SB 150 to the provision relating to nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges, contingent on the prior enactment of that bill, as specified. (2) To the extent the provisions of this bill would place additional requirements on community college districts regarding the provision of postsecondary education benefits to additional categories of students, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.