Portantino Introduces a Bill to Ease Financial Aid Process

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Fintridge) is introducing legislation that he hopes will make it easier for California community college students to receive financial aid.

AB 91 would reduce the number of forms students have to fill out. Currently, students apply for a Board of Governors waiver or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or both. Portantino’s bill creates a three-year pilot program at ten community college campuses where FAFSA would be used as the primary financial aid application.

“From our perspective, this is a very simple bill. In California, we require students to fill out two forms when only one is necessary,’’ Portantino said by phone Tuesday.

He added the problem with the “extraneous documents’’ is that “students miss out on half a million dollars of unused federal aid every year” because steps are missed and papers overlooked. In addition to grants and loans, students have also missed out on work-study programs as well.

According to the the Oakland-based Institute for College Access and Success, only one-third of community college students complete the forms that would make them eligible for that federal aid.

This will be Portantino’s second attempt at AB 91. Last fall, the senate overwhelmingly approved the bill, which seeks to eliminate the BOG waiver and make FAFSA the sole means of applying for aid, but then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

“It was really hard to understand some of his vetoes,’’ the assemblyman said.

Portantino’s bill is just another way to further streamline the financial aid process, he said, noting FAFSA applications are available online, as are many other help-related resources. Portantino deems BOG, which is only used at community colleges, as no longer necessary. 

Should AB 91 pass, it will be a step forward in the financial aid system that currently exists in the 109 California community college campuses. If the bill passes the legislature, the campuses that would host the pilot program will be selected later.

“It's a good thing for students, it's a good thing for schools, it's a good thing for the economy,” Portantino said.

Patricia Hurley, associate dean of student financial aid at Glendale Community College, believes this bill will benefit students and colleges. Hurley said Portantino has addressed an issue that has been a concern for a long time. 

 “Although much of the ‘aid left on the table’ cited in some of the current studies is because students don’t complete the paperwork required after they file the FAFSA, there are still a number of community college students who complete the BOG fee waive form and would qualify for additional aid, but don’t take the additional steps,’’ Hurley wrote in an email to Patch.

“I think the pilot programs established in this bill may sort all this out and help us ensure that eligible students apply for and receive all the financial aid available to them.’’ Hurley wrote.