20250SB__032397AMD INTRODUCED 2025-02-11 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-03-25 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2025-07-10 2025 SB AMD Introduced by Senator Pérez (Coauthors: Senators Caballero and Cervantes) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Garcia and Solache) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Pérez COAUTHOR SENATE Caballero COAUTHOR SENATE Cervantes COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache

An act to amend

Section 69508.5 of the Education Code, relating to student financial aid. student financial aid Student Aid Commission: California Dream Act application. Existing law exempts a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges if the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law makes a student who meets these requirements for exemption from nonresident tuition, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the state to the full extent permitted by federal law. Existing law requires the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable these students to apply for, and participate in, those student financial aid programs.

This bill would require the commission, by the start of the 2026–27 financial aid cycle, to amend the California Dream Act application, and any of its grant processing systems, to clarify and ensure that the application can be used by any student eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid.

The bill would also require the commission to consult with California’s public and private colleges and universities to promote the California Dream Act application effectively and inform students and their families of their available financial aid application options, as provided. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION

Section 69508.5 of the Education Code is amended to read: 69508.5. (

a) Notwithstanding any other law, a student who meets the requirements of subdivision (

a) of

Section 68130.5, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, is eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. The Legislature finds and declares that this

section is a state law within the meaning of

Section 1621(

d) of Title of the United States Code. (

b) Notwithstanding any other law, the commission shall establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under

Section 68130.5, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. (

c) It is the intent of the Legislature that all forms of state-based aid in California be made equally available to students who are exempt, pursuant to

Section 68130.5, from paying nonresident tuition and to all other students who qualify for state-based aid in this state. (

d) By the start of the 2026–27 financial aid cycle, the commission shall amend the California Dream Act application, and any of its grant processing systems, to clarify and ensure that the application can be used by any student eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid. (

e) The commission shall consult with California’s public and private colleges and universities to promote the California Dream Act application effectively, including supporting measures to maximize student attainment of federal financial aid, where appropriate, while also clearly informing students and their families of their available application options. (

f) The commission shall inform students and their families of their available financial aid application options, including, but not limited to, by doing both of the following:

(1) Listing, in a prominent manner, on the commission’s internet website and the California Dream Act application, the application eligibility criteria for the California Dream Act application, the types of financial aid that each application will consider, and key distinctions between the applications.

(2) Ensuring that applicants actively acknowledge, before completing the California Dream Act application, that they will not be considered for any federal student financial aid programs.