College Consultants Act.

Existing law authorizes school districts to provide comprehensive educational counseling to pupils through school counselors possessing a valid credential with a specialization in pupil personnel services. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs, including, among others, accountants, attorneys, paralegals, professional fiduciaries, immigration consultants, private investigators, and contractors. This bill would enact the College Consultants Act. The bill would require the Secretary of State, on or before January 1, 2022, and in consultation with the department, to recommend to the Legislature a cost-effective electronic registration process for the registration of college consultants and college consulting firms. The bill would require the registration process to be entirely online, to be made publicly available on the internet website of the Secretary of State, and to provide for the payment of reasonable registration fees by each college consultant or college consulting firm via an online process. The bill would also require the Department of Consumer Affairs to create the College Consulting Advisory Task Force, consisting of representatives from both the public and private sectors with expertise in education, to provide advice on the college consulting industry. The bill would require the task force, on or before January 1, 2022, to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, as provided.