Student financial aid: State Department of Social Services: individuals serving foster youth.

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, the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to establish a program to provide tuition assistance to eligible individuals pursuing postgraduate degrees who have applied in a manner specified by the department, and who are currently employed by, or who commit to seeking employment in, a qualifying agency serving foster youth. The bill would define eligible individual, qualifying agency, and tuition assistance for its purposes. The bill would require the department, upon the appropriation by the Legislature of specified federal funds received by the state, to provide tuition assistance to eligible individuals while they attend in the state any graduate school at the University of California, the California State University, or an independent institution of higher education, as defined. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2023, to adopt regulations related to topics including, but not necessarily limited to, the application criteria, the application process, data collection, and accountability for program expenditures.