Community colleges: records: affirmed name and gender identification.

The Donahoe Higher Education Act 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. The Equity in Higher Education Act requires a public postsecondary educational institution, including a campus of the California Community Colleges, to update a former student's records to include an updated legal name or gender if the institution receives government-issued documentation from a former student demonstrating that the former student's legal name or gender has been changed. This bill would require the governing board of each community college district to implement a process by which current students, staff, and faculty can declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification to be used in records where legal names are not required by law. This bill would, commencing with the 2023–24 academic year, require each community college campus to be capable of allowing current students, staff, or faculty to declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification. The bill would prohibit a community college campus from charging a higher fee for correcting, updating, or reissuing a document or record based on the declaration of an affirmed name or gender identification than the fee it charges for correcting, updating, or reissuing that document or record generally. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would constitute 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 the statutory provisions noted above.