[For those who weren’t able to enjoy the spectacle and pageantry of this week’s BOT meeting, I’m posting some  important items.]

Here’s the update on legislation regarding the CSU which was provided to the BOT (sadly I’ve had to remove the cute little clapboard icons of the original):

Board of Trustees Sponsored Legislation

AB 422 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degrees

This bill authorizes the CSU to permanently offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 819 (Medina) – CSU Regulatory Authority

This bill permanently grants the CSU the authority to draft its own regulations, an authority the system has had since 1996.

• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

SB 363 (Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee) – Financial transactions: loans and deposits


This bill provides a modification to the California Government Code that allows the CSU to deposit operational funds for study abroad programs in local accounts in certain foreign countries in which there is no FDIC insurance or an equivalent.

• Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Assembly.

 

Two-Year Bills

AB 52 (Cooper) – Public Employees: Orientation

This bill requires public employers to allow unions to provide a presentation during an employee’s orientation.

• CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 80 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctoral Program: Agricultural Education

This bill authorizes Fresno State to award an education doctorate in agricultural education.

• CSU Position: Neutral
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 207 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctor of Medicine Degrees 


This bill authorizes Fresno State to award doctor of medicine degrees.

• CSU Position: Neutral
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 209 (Mathis) – CSU Authority: Agricultural Education: Professional Doctorate Degrees

This bill authorizes the CSU to offer professional doctorate degrees in agricultural education.

• CSU Position: Neutral
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 405 (Irwin) – CCC Baccalaureate Degree Cybersecurity Pilot Program

This bill authorizes the California Community Colleges to establish a baccalaureate degree cybersecurity pilot program at up to 10 campuses. The bill includes a requirement that these colleges consult with the CSU and UC.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 1231 (Weber) – CSU: Support Staff Employees:

Merit Salary Adjustments 
This bill mandates that a support staff employee of the CSU receive a merit salary intermediate step adjustment of an unspecified amount each year that they receive a satisfactory performance evaluation.

• CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

Senate Bills

SB 1 (Beall) – Transportation Funding

This bill addresses road infrastructure and funding throughout the state. It includes a provision to direct $2 million annually from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account to the CSU for transportation research and transportation-related workforce education, training and development.

• CSU Position: Support
• Status: This bill was signed into law on April 28.

 

SB 25 (Portantino) – Public postsecondary education: nonresident tuition exemption

This bill makes statutory changes to ensure that California remains in compliance with federal law regarding benefits under the GI Bill for veterans and dependents.

• CSU Position: Support
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor Consent Calendar.

 

SB 68 (Lara) – Exemption from Non-resident Tuition 


This bill expands eligibility for the exemption from paying nonresident tuition at California’s public postsecondary institutions established by AB 540 (Firebaugh, Chapter 814, Statutes of 2001) to students who have completed three or more years of attendance at an elementary school, secondary school, adult school and/or California Community College.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Support
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee 
Suspense File.

 

SB 169 (Jackson) – Education: sex equity 


This bill codifies the federal Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights’ “Dear Colleague” letter in the California Education Code.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 236 (Nguyen): Public postsecondary education: UC: CSU: student financial assistance: tuition and mandatory systemwide fees: admission of out-of-state students

This bill freezes undergraduate tuition rates for five years at the CSU and UC starting with the 2018-2019 academic year. It also caps out-of-state students at 10 percent of total undergraduate enrollment at each campus of the CSU and UC.

• CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill failed passage in the Senate Education Committee.

 

SB 244 (Lara): Privacy: Agencies: Personal Information

This bill restricts the manner in which any state entity, including the CSU, can utilize and keep personal information received from an applicant for public services or programs.

•  CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 318 (Portantino) – CSU: Personal Service Contracts

This bill mandates that the CSU follow the State Civil Service Act for the purposes of contracting out. The CSU has historically been exempted from the Civil Service Act and addresses the issue of contracting out through collective bargaining.

• CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

SB 331 (Jackson) – Domestic Violence Counselor-Victim Privileges 


This bill expands the list of employees who enjoy confidential privilege to include a domestic violence counselor who works for a public or private institution of higher education.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Support
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on 
the Senate Floor Consent Calendar.

 

SB 483 (Glazer) – Education Finance: Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2018 


This bill enacts the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2018 which, upon approval by voters, would authorize the issue of $2 billion for CSU and UC education facilities, with a fifty-fifty split of the funds between CSU and UC.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Support
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee, the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 573 (Lara) – Student financial aid: service learning programs 


This bill requires the three segments of public higher education to provide service learning agreements for students in exchange for grants, fee waivers and reimbursements.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 577 (Dodd) – Community College Districts: Teacher Credentialing Programs of Professional Preparation
This bill expands the authority to offer professional preparation for teacher credentialing programs to include campuses of California Community Colleges.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

 

SB 769 (Hill) – CCC Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program

This bill extends the sunset date of the California Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program from 2023 to 2028; expands the number of pilot projects from 15 to 25; and authorizes participating community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees similar to the CSU and UC if those programs are located over 100 miles away from a CSU and/or UC campus.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 803 (Glazer) – The California Promise

This bill authorizes the trustees to provide specified grants or a tuition freeze to students who participate in the Promise program subject to the provisions of funding for this purpose. The bill also requires the CSU to waive systemwide tuition fees for a participating student unable to complete their degree within 4 years, due to limited space or no course offerings.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Neutral
• Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

Assembly Bills

AB 10 (Garcia) – Feminine Hygiene Product Availability

This bill requires K-12 and higher education segments to supply feminine hygiene products to all female students in school bathrooms.

•  CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 17 (Holden) – Transit Pass Program: Free or Reduced-Fare Transit Passes 


This bill requires the controller to allocate funds to the Department of Transportation to provide free or reduced transit passes to specified students.

• CSU Position: Support
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 21 (Kalra) – Public Postsecondary Education: Access to Education for Every Student 


This bill, among other things, prohibits the CCC, CSU and independent colleges from releasing specified confidential information about students, faculty and staff, and mandates that the institution provide regular guidance about their rights under state and federal immigration laws and how to respond to a federal immigration order. The bill requests that the UC do the same. It also requires staff be available to assist students whose education or employment is at risk because of federal immigration actions. Finally, it requires that the institution ensure that AB 540 students subject to a federal immigration order continue to receive financial aid and other academically related financial benefits.

•  CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 214 (Weber) – Postsecondary education: student hunger 


This bill clarifies existing state and federal policies for purposes of increasing consistency of county-level determinations of student eligibility for CalFresh benefits, with the intent of increasing participation in CalFresh for eligible students.

•  CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 393 (Quirk-Silva) – CSU Tuition

This bill, sponsored by the California Faculty Association, freezes tuition and fees at the CSU and CCC until the completion of the 2019-2020 academic year. The bill requests the same of the UC.

•  CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee and is 
awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 394 (Medina) – CSU: assessment and course placement of admitted students

This bill requires the CSU to implement specified measures for determining course placement of admitted students.

•  CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 453 (Limon) – Postsecondary education: student hunger 


This bill establishes criteria for a “hungry free campus” and requires the trustees and Board of Governors to designate campuses as such if they meet specified criteria. Meeting this designation would also make campuses eligible for a yet to be determined funding incentive.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee and is 
awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 586 (Holden) – Personal income taxes: credits: deductions: qualified teacher: professional development expenses


This bill provides a tax credit up to $500 for teacher professional development expenses.

• CSU Position: Support
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee 
and is awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 746 (Gonzalez Fletcher) – Potable Water and Lead Testing 


This bill requires K-12 districts, community colleges, CSU and UC to annually test for lead in the potable water system at every campus. Any part of a campus potable water system with an elevated level is required to be shut down.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 766 (Friedman) – Foster Youth

This bill allows foster youth or former foster youth to use existing dollars (i.e., Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care AFDC-FC Program) for a minor dependent living in a university dorm or other university designated housing.

• CSU Position: Support
• 
Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 813 (Eggman) – Postsecondary education: California State University: campuses 


This bill adds a Stockton campus to the CSU list of institutions, requires that satellite centers report specified information annually to the legislature, and prohibits any CSU campus that operates a satellite center from disproportionately cutting funding from a center in order to support the main campus.

• CSU Position: Concern
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 847 (Bocanegra) – Academic senates: membership 


The bill requires the Academic Senate to post its membership on its website and to also make the demographic information on their membership, including, race, gender and ethnicity available on request.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 848 (McCarty) – Public Contracts: University of California: California State University: Domestic Workers

This bill was amended to prohibit the CSU and the UC from contracting for services with a contractor who uses workers outside of the United States if that contract displaces a career CSU or UC employee.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Neutral
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is 
awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

AB 917 (Arambula) – Student Suicide Prevention Policies

This bill requires the governing boards of the three public segments of higher education to adopt a policy on student suicide prevention.

•  CSU Position: Support if Amended
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1062 (Levine) – Trustees of the CSU

This bill expands the membership of the Board of Trustees from 25 to 26 by expanding the number of students who serve on the board from two to four members. The measure also removes the restriction of five nominees being presented to the governor and leaves the number of nominees as being open.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is 
awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

AB 1064 (Calderon) – Cost of living for students

This bill requires the CSU to conduct a survey at each campus to determine a student’s annual cost of living every three years.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1178 (Calderon) – Postsecondary Education: Student Loans

This bill requires each higher education institution to annually send a letter regarding specified information on debt to students who take out loans.

• CSU Position: Watch
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1435 (Gonzalez Fletcher) – Student Athletes: The College Athlete Protection Act 


This bill creates the Athletic Protection Commission, an 11-member body appointed by the Assembly, Senate and the governor, with the goal of protecting student athletes. The commission will be funded by fees paid by participating institutions. The commission would have the ability to enact regulations and penalties that could include civil penalties, temporary or permanent employment prohibition in higher education, or other penalties imposed by the commission.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1464 (Weber) – CSU: Tenure Track Positions

This bill requires the CSU to increase the number of tenured faculty to 75 percent by mandating the system hire between 700 to 915 tenure tracked faculty positions each year over the next eight years, without displacing any lecturers in the process.

•  CSU Position: Oppose
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1622 (Low) – Student Support Services: Dream Resource Liaisons

This bill requires the CCC and CSU, and requests the UC, to designate a Dream Resource Liaison on each of their respective campuses.

• CSU Position: From Watch to Support
• Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.