Sacramento, CA – Assembly Bill 2099 by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) successfully passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee. This bill will provide a safeguard for veterans who have been targeted by for-profit colleges that practice misleading and deceptive recruiting techniques.
“AB 2099 is intended to help our veteran students obtain the educational benefits they rightfully deserve,” said Frazier. “It is my hope that this legislation will also help facilitate a path that supports their assimilation back into civilian life.”
In 2012, a report released by the United State Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee exposed that many for-profit colleges have failed to make the necessary investment in veteran student success. In some cases, colleges spent less on instructional costs than they spent on marketing, recruiting or profits.
“Our veterans have made enormous sacrifices for us,” said Robert F. Muth, U.S. Marine veteran and Supervising Attorney at the University of San Diego Veterans Legal Clinic. “The very least we can do in return is ensure that those veterans who want to use their hard earned GI Bill education benefits attend institutions that will do right by them.”
The HELP Committee report also disclosed that most for-profit colleges cost significantly more than comparable community colleges and state universities. For-profits typically set their tuition prices above the standard financial aid disbursement amount, a factor that has caused 96 percent of for-profit college students to take on exorbitant and unmanageable student loans. From the companies examined, 54 percent of students from 2008 to 2010 left the school, often times with high debt and without a certificate or a degree.
“Colleges should want their veterans to thrive, and should voluntarily provide the tools and resources essential for graduation and career readiness,” said Frazier. “AB 2099 provides the necessary oversight of educational institutions to protect taxpayer investment in our student veterans.”
To contact Assemblymember Jim Frazier please visit his website at http://www.asmdc.org/members/a11/ or call his District Offices at 707-399-3011 or 925-778-5790.
