An act
to amend Sections 69433.5 and 69433.6 of the Education Code,
relating to
postsecondary education.
student financial aid.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION
1.
Section 69433.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:
69433.5.
(a) Only a resident of California, as determined by the commission pursuant to Part 41 (commencing with Section 68000), is eligible for an initial Cal Grant award. The recipient shall remain eligible for award renewal only if he or she is a California resident, in attendance, and making satisfactory academic progress at a qualifying institution, as determined by the commission.
(b) A part-time student shall not be discriminated against in the selection of Cal Grant Program award recipients, and an award to a part-time student shall be approximately proportional to the time the student spends in the instructional program, as determined by the commission. A first-time Cal Grant Program award recipient who is a part-time student shall be eligible for a full-time renewal award if he or she becomes a full-time student.
(c) Cal Grant Program awards shall be awarded without regard to race, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or age.
(d) An applicant shall not receive more than one type of Cal Grant Program award concurrently. An applicant shall not:
(1) Receive one or a combination of Cal Grant Program awards in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for a total of
four
six
years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program, except as provided in Section 69433.6.
(2) Have obtained a baccalaureate degree before receiving a Cal Grant Program award.
(e) A Cal Grant Program award, except as provided in Section 69440, may only be used for educational expenses of a program of study leading directly to an undergraduate degree or certificate, or for expenses of undergraduate coursework in a program of study leading directly to a first professional degree, but for which no baccalaureate degree is awarded.
(f) The commission shall, for students who accelerate college attendance, increase the amount of
the
award proportional to the period of additional attendance resulting from attendance in classes that fulfill requirements or electives for graduation during summer terms, sessions, or quarters. In the aggregate, the total amount a student may receive in a
four-year
six-year
period
may
shall
not be increased as a result of accelerating his or her progress to a degree by attending summer terms, sessions, or quarters.
(g) The commission shall notify Cal Grant award recipients of the availability of funding for the summer term, session, or quarter through prominent notice in financial aid award letters, materials, guides, electronic information, and other means that may include, but not necessarily be limited to, surveys, newspaper articles, or attachments to communications from the commission and any other published documents.
(h) The commission may require, by the adoption of rules and regulations, the production of reports, accounting, documents, or other necessary statements from the award recipient and the college or university of attendance pertaining to the use or application of the award.
(i) A Cal Grant Program award may be utilized only at a qualifying institution.
(j) A recipient who initially qualified for both a Cal Grant A award and a Cal Grant B award, and received a Cal Grant B award, may be awarded a renewal Cal Grant A award if that recipient subsequently became ineligible for a renewal Cal Grant B award and meets the applicable Cal Grant A financial need and income and asset criteria.
SEC. 2.
Section 69433.6 of the Education Code is amended to read:
69433.6.
(a) Cal Grant A awards and Cal Grant B awards may be renewed for a total of the equivalent of
four
six
years of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program provided that minimum financial need as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9 continues to exist. Commencing with the 2001–02 academic year, the total number of years of eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be based on the student’s educational level in his or her course of study as designated by the institution of attendance when the recipient initially receives payment for a grant.
(b) (1) Commencing with the 2014–15 academic year, a recipient who was determined to be ineligible for a renewal award in the 2012–13 or 2013–14 academic year because he or she exceeded the maximum household income or asset level established by subdivision (k) of Section 69432.7, or failed to meet the minimum need threshold established by paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9, shall be eligible to receive a renewal award if the recipient meets all program eligibility requirements for the program from which he or she was previously disqualified and the recipient has remaining renewal award eligibility. For purposes of determining a student’s remaining renewal award eligibility, an academic year during which a student was ineligible shall reduce his or her renewal award eligibility by one full-time equivalent year.
(2) Commencing with the 2015–16 academic year, a recipient who is determined to be ineligible for a renewal award because, during the immediately preceding academic year, he or she exceeded the maximum household income or asset level established by subdivision (k) of Section 69432.7, or failed to meet the minimum need threshold established by paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9, shall be eligible to receive a renewal award if the recipient meets all program eligibility requirements for the program from which he or she was previously disqualified and the recipient has remaining renewal award eligibility. For purposes of determining a student’s remaining renewal award eligibility, an academic year during which a student was ineligible shall reduce his or her renewal award eligibility by one full-time equivalent year.
(c) For a student enrolled in an institutionally prescribed five-year undergraduate program, Cal Grant A awards and Cal Grant B awards may be renewed for a total of five years of full-time attendance, provided that minimum financial need, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9, continues to exist.
(d) (1) A Cal Grant Program award recipient who has completed a baccalaureate degree, and who has been admitted to and is enrolled in a program of professional teacher preparation at an institution approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is eligible for, but not entitled to, renewal of a Cal Grant Program award for an additional year of full-time attendance, if minimum financial need, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9, continues to exist.
(2) Payment for an additional year is limited to only those courses required for an initial teaching authorization. An award made under this subdivision may not be used for other courses.
(3) A student’s Cal Grant Program renewal eligibility shall not have lapsed more than 15 months before the payment of an award for purposes of this subdivision.
SECTION 1.
It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would make additional student financial aid options available for students attending segments of postsecondary education.

Summary: Existing law, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. The program prohibits an applicant from receiving one or a combination of program awards in excess of the amount equivalent to the award level for a total of a 4-year period of full-time attendance in an undergraduate program, except as provided.
This bill would increase this generally applicable maximum for total Cal Grant awards to an applicant to the award level for a 6-year period of full-time attendance.
Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending segments of postsecondary education.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would make additional student financial aid options available for students attending segments of postsecondary education.