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Assembly committee advances bill to waive community-college baccalaureate tuition for College Promise students
Summary
The committee passed AB 1035, which would allow California College Promise tuition waivers to apply to students pursuing baccalaureate degrees at community colleges that offer them. Supporters said it would expand equitable access to bachelor’s degrees while opponents warned about Prop 98 funding and fiscal trade-offs.
Assemblymember Mark Gonzales presented AB 1035 to expand the California College Promise program so that eligible promise students may use tuition waivers toward baccalaureate degree programs offered at California community colleges.
The author framed the bill as an equity and workforce measure, arguing that community colleges already offer a small number of career‑focused bachelor’s degrees and that allowing tuition waivers to apply to those programs would make high-demand credentials more accessible. “This bill is a pathway for promise students to walk into a community college and walk out prepared for a career that sustains their family, strengthens their community, and fuels our state's economy without being weighed down by debt,” Gonzales said.
College presidents and program leaders testified in support, citing successful pilot baccalaureate programs in fields such as dental hygiene and respiratory therapy and noting strong employment outcomes for graduates. Araceli Aguilar, president of Los Angeles Pierce College, and Dr. Christina Whalen of Foothill College described programs that produce graduates who pass licensing exams and enter workforce roles that pay family‑sustaining wages.
Members debated fiscal trade‑offs and the effect on Prop 98 funding. Vice Chair De Maio said she would oppose the bill because she worried expanding the waiver could stretch the state’s Prop 98 funding and possibly reduce resources available to TK–14. Supporters countered that California’s College Promise funding is already allocated to community colleges and that local districts can opt into the program for baccalaureate cohorts that make sense for them.
Action and next steps: The committee voted to pass AB 1035 to the Appropriations Committee. The transcript shows a roll-call with a mix of ayes and noes; the clerk reported the measure had three ayes and two noes at one point and kept the roll open for additional members to register their votes.
Why this matters: Supporters said AB 1035 would reduce barriers for place‑bound students and working adults to complete high‑value bachelor’s degrees in their communities. Critics argued the bill could reallocate finite Prop 98 resources and urged a narrower pilot or targeted caps.
Next steps: The bill goes to Appropriations for a fiscal analysis and possible amendments.
