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A bill that would allow the San Mateo County Community College District to grant low-cost —and in some cases free—tuition to some students passed a major legislative hurdle last week, according to a news release from the office of State Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park).
The Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 893 with a bipartisan 6-0 vote, which sends the legislation to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
The bill, which was introduced by Becker, provides the community college district the authority to charge students less than $46 per unit required by the state and would enable the district to lower or entirely waive enrollment fees for students experiencing financial hardship, according to the news release.
The bill would also allow the district to use its local revenue in the form of “unrestricted funds” to cover enrollment fees and help students with other costs related to attending the district’s community colleges, including food, transportation, housing, books, school supplies, student counseling and technology needs, the release said.
The college district covers these costs for 2,000 students through its Promise Scholars Program, but if SB 893 becomes law, the district could aid another 4,000 county students by using local resources and without incurring further costs to the state, according to the news release.
SB 893 is coauthored by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco), and Assembly member Marc Berman,( D-Menlo Park).
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