New Bill Could Give Community Colleges Authority To Waive Tuition

SAN MATEO, CA — A bill to grant the San Mateo County Community College District the authority to make tuition free, and put forth other initiatives to help reduce costs for students, unanimously passed California’s Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Senate Bill 893, which is co-authored by Sen. Josh Becker (D-SD13), would grant the community college district the authority to charge students less than the $46 per credit unit required by the state, a move that could enable the district to waive enrollment fees entirely for students experiencing financial hardship.

The bill also allows the district to use local revenue to cover enrollment fees, and costs related to food, transportation, housing, books, school supplies, counseling, technology, and more.

The district currently covers these costs for 2,000 students through the Promise Scholars Program. If SB 893 becomes law, the districts aid another 4,000 county students by using local rather than state resources, according to a news release from Becker’s office.

SB 893, which is coauthored by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) and Assemblymember Marc Berman, (D-Menlo Park) would help underrepresented groups gain a college education.