SB 252 — Pupils: diploma alternatives: fees.

Summary

(1) Existing law authorizes certain persons, including, among others, any person 16 years of age or older, to have his or her proficiency in basic skills taught in public high schools verified according to criteria established by the State Department of Education. Existing law requires the State Board of Education to award a certificate of proficiency to persons who demonstrate that proficiency. Existing law requires the department to develop standards of competency in basic skills taught in public high schools and to provide for the administration of examinations prepared by, or with the approval of, the department to verify competency. Existing law authorizes the department to charge a fee for each examination application in an amount sufficient to recover the costs of administering the requirements of these provisions, but prohibits the fee from exceeding an amount equal to the cost of test renewal and administration per examination application. This bill would prohibit the department from charging the fee to a homeless child or youth who is under 25 years of age and can verify his or her status as a homeless child or youth. The bill would authorize a homeless services provider, as defined, that has knowledge of the examinee's housing status to verify the examinee's status for purposes of these provisions. The bill would provide that no additional state funds shall be appropriated for purposes of implementing the above provisions. The bill would authorize the state board to adopt emergency regulations for purposes of these provisions. (2) Existing law separately requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to a person who has not completed high school and who meets specified requirements, including, among others, having taken all or a portion of a general education development test that has been approved by the state board and administered by a testing center approved by the department, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to charge an examinee a one-time fee to pay costs related to administering these provisions and issuing a certificate, as specified. Existing law limits the amount of the fee to $20 per person and requires each scoring contractor to forward that fee to the Superintendent. This bill would, for purposes of those provisions, prohibit a contractor or testing center that charges its own separate fee from charging that separate fee to a homeless child or youth who is under 25 years of age and can verify his or her status as a homeless child or youth. The bill would authorize a homeless services provider, as defined, that has knowledge of the examinee's housing status to verify the examinee's status for purposes of these provisions. The bill would provide that no additional state funds shall be appropriated for purposes of implementing these provisions, and would authorize the Superintendent to adopt emergency regulations for purposes of these provisions. (3) Existing law establishes in the State Treasury a Special Deposit Fund Account, which consists of certain fees, and is continuously appropriated for the support of the department to be used for purposes of the provisions above relating to high school equivalency tests. This bill would authorize the Superintendent, until July 1, 2019, to use surplus funds, as defined, in the Special Deposit Fund Account to reimburse contractors for the loss of fees, if any, pursuant to provisions above relating to high school equivalency tests. By authorizing the expenditure of money in a continuously appropriated fund for a new purpose, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require a contract executed by the department for the provision of those tests to require a contracting party to accept all examinees, including those entitled to a fee waiver pursuant to those provisions. The bill also would require the department to include a provision in all memorandums of understanding with contractors for purposes of providing a high school equivalency test, that if the surplus funds in the Special Deposit Fund Account are depleted, the ongoing costs of a fee waiver for an examinee deemed eligible for a waiver shall be absorbed by the contractor. (4) This bill also would require the department, on or before December 1, 2018, to submit 2 reports to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, one relating to high school proficiency tests, and one relating to high school equivalency tests, that each include, among other things, the number of homeless youth that took a high school proficiency or equivalency test in each of the 2016, 2017, and 2018 calendar years, and the impact of the opportunity to take a high school proficiency or equivalency test at no cost on the number and percentage of homeless youth taking a high school proficiency or equivalency test.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/30/15 - Chaptered Current pdf September 30, 2015
• Enrolled 09/04/15 - Enrolled pdf September 04, 2015
• Amended 08/28/15 - Amended Assembly pdf August 28, 2015
• Amended 08/18/15 - Amended Assembly pdf August 18, 2015
• Amended 06/02/15 - Amended Senate pdf June 02, 2015
• Amended 04/07/15 - Amended Senate pdf April 07, 2015
• Introduced 02/18/15 - Introduced pdf February 18, 2015
• SB252 View text html

Action History

1. September 30, 2015

   Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 384, Statutes of 2015.

2. September 30, 2015

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 09, 2015

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.

4. September 03, 2015

   Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2442.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

5. September 02, 2015

   In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

6. September 02, 2015

   Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2796.) Ordered to the Senate.

7. August 31, 2015

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. August 28, 2015

   Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

9. August 28, 2015

   From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (August 27).

10. August 27, 2015

    Joint Rule 62(a) suspended.

11. August 26, 2015

    August 26 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

12. August 18, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

13. August 17, 2015

    (Received at desk July 17 pursuant to JR 61(a)(10))

14. August 17, 2015

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 15).

15. July 01, 2015

    July 1 hearing postponed by committee.

16. June 15, 2015

    Referred to Com. on ED.

17. June 04, 2015

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

18. June 03, 2015

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 1297.) Ordered to the Assembly.

19. June 02, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

20. June 01, 2015

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1150.) (May 28).

21. May 23, 2015

    Set for hearing May 28.

22. May 04, 2015

    May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

23. April 24, 2015

    Set for hearing May 4.

24. April 23, 2015

    April 27 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.

25. April 22, 2015

    Set for hearing April 27.

26. April 07, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

27. April 06, 2015

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 418.) (March 25).

28. March 13, 2015

    Set for hearing March 25.

29. February 26, 2015

    Referred to Com. on ED.

30. February 19, 2015

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 21.

31. February 18, 2015

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

• Baker · Cosponsor
• Beall · Cosponsor
• Bloom · Cosponsor
• Chiu · Cosponsor
• Dababneh · Cosponsor
• Cooley · Cosponsor
• Gordon · Cosponsor
• Hancock · Cosponsor
• Tom Lackey · Cosponsor
• Leno · Primary
• Maienschein · Cosponsor
• McCarty · Cosponsor
• Olsen · Cosponsor
• Santiago · Cosponsor
• Ting · Cosponsor
• Wieckowski · Cosponsor
• Benjamin Allen · Cosponsor
• Cristina Garcia · Cosponsor

Votes

Subjects