Existing law establishes the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, as the three segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The Donahoe Higher Education Act prohibits campuses of those three segments from charging mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to specified students who are California residents and who apply for a waiver. This includes a child of any veteran of the United States military who has a service-connected disability, has been killed in service, or has died of a service-connected disability and annual income of the child does not exceed the state poverty level. Additionally, an undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Medal of Honor and an undergraduate student who is a child of a recipient of a Medal of Honor where the student is no more than 27 years old and the annual income of the recipient or child, including the value of any support received from a parent, does not exceed the national poverty level is eligible for a waiver of mandatory systemwide tuition or fees.
In these two situations where the student’s eligibility depends on the income of the child or student, this bill instead requires that the annual income of the child not exceed the state poverty level. The bill defines state poverty level as an annual household income that is less than the amount calculated for a single person with no dependents pursuant to Section 18501 of the Revenue and Tax Code. To the extent these provisions adds additional duties on community college districts, the bill imposes a state-mandated local program.
(AB 1745 amends Education Code Section 66025.3.)