20250SB__096897CHP INTRODUCED 2026-02-03 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2026-06-18 PASSED_SENATE 2026-03-26 ENROLLED 2026-06-22 CHAPTERED 2026-06-29 APPROVED 2026-06-29 FILED 2026-06-29 2025 SB CHP CHP 0 Introduced by Senator Becker (Coauthors: Assembly Members Berman and Papan) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Becker COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan

An act to amend

Section of the Education Code, relating to community colleges. community colleges Community colleges: San Mateo County Community College District. Existing law, until July 1, 2028, authorizes the San Mateo County Community College District to adopt a policy that uses local unrestricted general funds to provide fee waivers to students with the greatest financial need when other fee waivers are not provided to those students, as specified.

Existing law authorizes the San Mateo County Community College District to use local unrestricted general funds, in addition to funding received under the California College Promise, to provide assistance to students for the total cost of attendance, as defined, only for students who reside within the boundary of the community college district. This bill would delete the repeal date, thereby extending the San Mateo County Community College District’s authority to adopt the above-described policy indefinitely. The bill would also repeal an obsolete reporting requirement.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the San Mateo County Community College District. MAJORITY NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Education Code is amended to read: 76302. (

a) The governing board of the San Mateo County Community College District may adopt a policy that uses local unrestricted general funds to provide fee waivers to students with the greatest financial need, as determined by the community college district, when other fee waivers are not provided to those students. The policy shall include a requirement to prepare a fiscal impact statement, including a three-year projection of fiscal impact of the fee waiver on the community college district. The fiscal impact statement shall be presented at a public meeting of the governing board of the community college district and made available to the public. (

b) In addition to funding received pursuant to subdivision (

b) of

Section 76396, the San Mateo County Community College District may use local unrestricted general funds to provide assistance to students for the total cost of attendance. (

c) The San Mateo County Community College District may use local unrestricted general funds for the purposes described in this

section only for students who reside within the boundary of the community college district. (

d) For purposes of this section, the total cost of attendance for a student attending a community college shall be defined to include the student’s tuition and fees, books and supplies, living expenses, transportation expenses, and any other student expenses used to calculate a student’s financial need for purposes of federal Title IV student aid programs.

SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of

Section of

Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances of the San Mateo County Community College District that necessitate greater flexibility in the use of local resources to support students’ basic needs and removal of financial barriers for students to access higher education in a high cost-of-living region.