Community colleges: Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Act: California Community Colleges Assistance Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires community college district governing boards to charge students an enrollment fee of $46 per unit per semester. Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. This bill would establish the California Community Colleges Assistance Grant Program. Commencing with the 2017–18 award year, the bill would require the Student Aid Commission to annually augment the awards of all recipients of Cal Grant B Entitlement awards and Competitive Cal Grant B awards who are enrolled as students at campuses of the California Community Colleges by $1,500. The bill would specify that the amounts awarded under the bill would supplement, and not supplant, the Cal Grant B awards and other student financial aid received by those community college students. The bill would further specify that these awards would be funded by appropriations from the General Fund in the annual Budget Act.