September, 2020

In this Issue:

  • California Legislative Session Concludes with Last Minute Adjustment to Budget
  • Bills Set to Impact Community Colleges
  • Prop 15 and Prop 16 Virtual Town Halls
  • Supporting Districts Through the League's Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRAN) Program
  • Library Services Platform
  • Join Us for our Next Webinar: Tuesday, September 15, at 11:00 a.m.
  • Federal Grant Opportunities
  • Upcoming Events

California Legislative Session Concludes with Last Minute Adjustments to Budget

In the waning hours of the 2019-20 legislative session, with State Senate Republicans participating remotely due to possible COVID exposure, the Legislature approved SB 820 and SB 115, two measures amending the budget for California Community Colleges as part of "Budget Bill Junior," a series of bills refining the 2020-21 Budget Act.

SB 820 impacts community colleges in two ways. First, it updates the definition of instructional materials for purposes of Lottery funds to include, but not be limited to, such items as laptop computers and devices that provide internet access for use by pupils, students, teachers, and faculty as learning resources. In a related move, the Legislature also approved AB 2884 (Berman), which authorizes community college districts to use Lottery funds for student housing and food assistance. These two measures are not in conflict with each other.

Second, SB 820 adds the Lieutenant Governor as the 17th voting member of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. While this provision of SB 820 was uncontroversial in the concluding hours of the 2019-20 legislative session, two previous efforts (in 2002 and 2006) to accomplish this were defeated amidst significant opposition.

SB 115 authorizes $16.6 million in voter-approved Proposition 51 bond funds to support the preliminary plans and working drawings phases of eight community college capital outlay projects: College of Alameda - Aviation Complex Replacement, Saddleback College - Science Math Building Reconstruction, City College of San Francisco - Cloud Hall Reconstruction, Sierra College - Science Building Phase 1, Shasta College - Building 200 Modernization, Fullerton College - Music/Drama Complex-Buildings 1100 and 1300 Replacement, and Mt. San Antonio College - Technology and Health Replacement.

On September 9th, SB 115 was approved and signed by the Governor.  SB 820 is still on the Governor's desk but is expected to be signed as well.

Next Steps on Budget
The League is continuing to advocate for additional federal stimulus to help buy down (or "trigger off") $791.1 million in deferrals for community colleges approved by the Legislature in June as part of the Budget Act. It is also supportive of Proposition 15, which would raise an additional estimated $500 million each year in needed revenue.

Later this month, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors is likely to vote on the proposed Budget Change Proposal (BCP) for the 2021-22 budget. The BCP reflects the System's collective priorities for inclusion in the Governor's upcoming January budget proposal to form the basis of next year's budget discussions. 


Bills Set to Impact Community Colleges

When a State Senator tested positive for COVID-19, it required most of the Senate's Republican members to participate remotely.  With ten members of the Senate participating remotely, there were numerous technical difficulties and accusations of gamesmanship by each house as the legislative session came to a close earlier this month. Despite this, many items were passed by the Legislature, including legislation related to eviction protections, police reforms, and additional exemptions to the state law requiring classification of workers as employees.

The global pandemic has had a significant impact on legislation relating to community colleges. By February, roughly 100 bills had been introduced that impacted either our institutions or students. However, lawmakers were forced to scale back the number of measures they considered throughout the year, reducing the number of bills that were considered by state lawmakers in the final weeks of the legislative session. Below is a list of key bills that would impact California Community Colleges and their current status. For a comprehensive list of all legislation that was introduced by lawmakers, click here: https://ccleague.org/advocacy/bill-tracking

AB 70 (Berman) Conversation of For-Profit Institutions
Would create a framework and process for which the attorney general must verify that a for-profit institution has met the criteria to convert into a non-profit or public college or university.
Status: Passed onto the Governor's Desk

AB 1460 (Weber) Ethnic Studies
Would require the California State University (CSU) system to make a three-unit ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement. Prior to the bill's signing, the CSU had adopted an alternative ethnic studies requirement.
Status: Signed into law.

AB 1759 (Salas) Liability Protections
Would have enhanced liability protections from frivolous lawsuits related to COVID-19 infections for institutions of higher education, including community colleges.
Status: Held in the Senate Judiciary Committee

AB 2288 (Low) Nursing Programs
Would provide more flexibility for nursing programs facing a reduction in clinical training hours due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Status: Passed onto the Governor's Desk

AB 2416 (Gabriel) – Satisfactory Academic Progress
Would require colleges to consider homelessness as a mitigating factor when considering appeals for students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Status: Passed onto the Governor's Desk

AB 2884 (Berman) Lottery Dollars
Would permit lottery dollars to be spent on student basic needs such as food and housing assistance.
Status: Passed onto the Governor's Desk

SB 1173 (Durazo) Employee Info
Would have permitted the Public Employment Relations Board to assess penalties on public employers, including community colleges, if they did not send correct new and current employee contact information on a specified basis to their collective bargaining units. 
Status: Held in the State Assembly

SB 1232 (Glazer) CalWORKs
Would permit CalWORKs recipients at public universities to receive a $500 per semester benefit to pay for books and permit them to request reimbursement for classroom-related expenses above the allocated $500. Implementation of the bill is contingent on an appropriation via the state budget, which did not occur for 2020-21.
Status: Passed onto the Governor's Desk

As was stated before, many critical and high-profile bills did not advance this year. It is important to note that they were held back due to the truncated legislative session, not due to fiscal or policy concerns.  We would expect that once lawmakers come back to Sacramento in December, that the body would be interested in the following policy issues:

  • Financial Aid Reform
  • Student Basic Needs
  • Access to Broadband
  • Elimination of differential pay for faculty in favor of extended sick leave
  • Board of Registered Nursing sunset review
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Police training curricula and local law enforcement practices
  • Shortened probation time for newly hired classified employees

Prop 15 and Prop 16 Virtual Town Halls

As the 2020 General Election approaches, California voters will soon be asked to determine the fate of two important ballot measures that could significantly impact community colleges: Proposition 15 and 16. To learn more about the ballot measures and how California Community Colleges can take an actively educating voters about the impact both proposals would have on their institutions, join the League for a series of virtual town halls with campaign officials.

Proposition 16 – Opportunity for All (Repeal Prop 209)
Wednesday, September 16
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Register Here: 
http://bit.ly/prop16_townhall

Proposition 15 – Schools and Communities First
Wednesday, September 23
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Register Here
http://bit.ly/prop15_townhall

For a toolkit with factsheets and resources on both propositions, click here.

If you missed the League's Vote 2020 Virtual Town Hall with Secretary of State Alex Padilla on how to engage California Community Colleges in the 2020 general election, you can view the webinar recording here.


Supporting Districts Through the League's Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRAN) Program

Considering that the 2020-21 budget included a potential deferral of $1.45 billion, the League is highlighting its longstanding TRAN Program, in partnership with Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth, and Morgan Stanley. The League has been working with California Community Colleges for over 25 years. As the Treasurer's Office has stated, districts are "expected to receive only about 70% of their State apportionment payments for 2020-21 with deferrals starting in February 2021 and continuing through June 2021. The apportionment deferrals are expected to continue for 2021-22."

The League's TRAN program provides a streamlined process, including your board resolution and assistance with cash flows, working with a team that is well versed in the complexities of community college finance.

The League's Cross-Year TRAN is scheduled to fund in February 2021, with future TRANs planned as needed based on district needs. For more information on the program, visit the League's website: https://www.ccleague.org/district-services/financing-authority/tax-revenue-anticipation-note-trans-program


Library Services Platform

The League has partnered with the Council of Chief Librarians (CCL) since 2003 to manage the Library Consortium, which provides access and consortium pricing for the thousands of electronic resources that are used for coursework and research throughout our System. Access to these resources and reliance on the partnership between the League and the library community has been incredibly beneficial to all stakeholders, but even more so during the move to distance learning due to COVID-19.

In 2017, via a one-time grant, the Council of Chief Librarians partnered with the CCCCO and the CCC Technology Center to administer the Library Services Platform (LSP) Project. The project's purpose was to select and implement a shared library software solution (Ex Libris Alma/Primo VE) for the 110 participating colleges. The 110 colleges successfully implemented the platform, and all were live by January 2020.

The newly adopted LSP allowed libraries to continue fundamental operations during the COVID-19 crisis. Students can utilize a single search for physical library materials, library database subscriptions, e-books, and OER materials. Without this project, many colleges would not have been able to provide access to library resources during extensive and ongoing campus closures. In March 2020, the LSP project was awarded the Statewide Technology Award by the CCCCO at the CISOA Annual Meeting. However, even while acknowledging the success of the project and the large investment of time and effort on behalf of the librarians, ongoing funding was not secured to continue this critical project.

The League was approached by the Council of Chief Librarians to work with them to integrate the LSP into our existing Consortium. The League values our longstanding relationship with CCL and the campus librarians and appreciate their support for bringing this project to us. In the coming months, campuses will be receiving updates as we negotiate a new contract with Ex Libris, and build the team required to manage the LSP. Since ongoing funding was not secured, the campuses will need to absorb the costs individually; however, districts may consider checking with their legal departments about potentially utilizing CARES Act monies as a funding source.

As the League begins its work to advocate for the districts in the 2021-22 budget process, Government Relations staff will be watching and advocating for the Consortium and their essential work.


Join Us for our Next Webinar: Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 a.m.

Join the League's Government Relations Team for our monthly webinars. Receive important information regarding legislation and proposals discussed in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. that will impact you, your students, and your institution.

Schedule
Every Third Tuesday of the Month, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Webinar Details 
Telephone Number: (646) 876-9923 or (669) 900-6833
Meeting ID: 623 780 059

Registration
Be sure to register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.

2020 Webinar Schedule:
Tuesday, September 15
Tuesday, October 20


Federal Grant Opportunities

Presented by Downs Government Affairs

The League, in partnership with Downs Government Affairs, provides a list of federal grants to assist your community college in improving its programs and services. If you have any questions about the following grants, please feel free to reach out to Thomas Downs at TCDowns@downsgovaffairs.com.

For a full list of federal grants available to community colleges, visit our Federal Grants page at www.ccleague.org/federal-grant-opportunites


Upcoming Events

Consultation Council
Sept. 17 

Board of Governors Meeting
Sept. 21–22 

ACCT Leadership Congress
Oct. 5–8 | Virtual Conference

ACBO Fall Conference
Oct. 26-28 | Virtual Conference

ACHRO Fall Training Institute
Oct./Nov. | Virtual Conference

Academic Senate Plenary
Nov. 5-7 | Newport Beach

2020 CCLC Annual Convention
Nov. 17–20 | Virtual Conference


For more information, contact the League's Government Relations and Communications staff:

Andrew Martinez, Director of Government Relations | amartinez@ccleague.org
Ryan McElhinney, Policy and Advocacy Manager | ryan@ccleague.org
Laura Murrell, Communications Manager | laura@ccleague.org
Rina Kasim, Member Resources Associate | rina@ccleague.org
Gerson Liahut-Sanchez, Government Relations & Communications Fellow | fellow@ccleague.org

Follow League Tracked Bills at: www.ccleague.org/advocacy/bill-tracking
For news related to the State Budget and Policy visit: www.ccleague.org/advocacy

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