*New announcement regarding H.R. 1
Government Relations (GRAC) is the political arm of WACAC. GRAC serves as a conduit between the federal government, as well as the state governments of California and Nevada. GRAC provides opportunities for involvement nationally and locally. Members communicate with legislators, plan the Legislative Conference, and provide feedback to the membership.
Give 10 Minutes Campaign Resource
Description
The links below will assist you in locating information about current legislation in California, Nevada, and on the federal level.
California Assembly
California Senate
California Governor
Nevada Government
US House of Representatives
US Senate
US President/Vice President
Contact
CO-CHAIRS:
Jeff Morrow
Director of College Counseling
Oaks Christian School
jmorrow@oakschristian.org
Kati Swanson (Nevada)
TMCC High School
kswanson@washoe.k12.nv.us
Legislative Issues
WACAC
The WACAC Government Relations Action Committee (GRAC) monitors legislation in California and Nevada, and works closely with NACAC on federal legislative issues. Included in our annual slate of events is a legislative conference in Sacramento that focuses exclusively on priorities for the coming year.
The Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC) has hired Sacramento-based education lobbyist Pamela Bachilla to represent the Association’s priorities in California and Nevada.
WACAC hires lobbyist
NACAC
Use NACAC’s Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress on NACAC member priority issues, or write your own message on any topic. Also use the Action Center to read about recent state and federal legislation, find contact information for your lawmakers, and much more!
AB 1802
The Clearinghouse is a project of the University of San Diego’s Center for Student Support Systems(CS3) in partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The project works in cooperation with the California Department of Education.
Co-sponsors of the Clearinghouse web site include the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC), and the California Association for School Counselors (CASC).
AB 130 and 131 The Dream Act
The
California Dream Act:
New Opportunities for
California Students
Prepared October 9, 2011
For More Information:
Pamela Bachilla
K Street Consulting
pamela@kstreet.us.com
(916) 658-1688
The Western Association for College Admission Counseling represents counselors throughout California and
Nevadain advocating for policies that promote access to the college and career pathways that best suit each student’s future dreams and goals. In our role as counselors, we know first-hand of the challenges that face many students and their families in accessing higher education, and the WACAC organization and each of our members view it as our responsibility to address these hardships. Our commitment is evident in the fact that counselors are recognized as one of the top three primary keys to improving the access of poor students and students of color[1] to higher education. As a part of this work, WACAC was proud to have supported the California Dream Act in 2011.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle,
Californiagraduates over 25,000 undocumented students each year. The choppy waters of today’s economic climate put pressure on students and their families when it comes to college affordability, and financial assistance plays an important role in recruiting target student populations[2]. College admissions counselors regularly see undocumented students who are among the best and brightest in the state be denied higher education because they cannot afford a spot in college. Many of these students come from impoverished neighborhoods, and will be the first in their family to even graduate from high school. After their years of effort, the California Dream Act will ensure that they can reach their full potential and contribute to
California’s economy.
The California Dream Act consisted of two bills, and was signed in to law by the Governor on Sunday, October 9th. The new law offers undocumented students a chance at higher education by ensuring the high costs of college or career training programs don’t become a barrier to access:
Assembly Bill 130 – This bill makes students that meet in-state tuition requirements eligible for out-of-state funded scholarships.
Assembly Bill 131 – This bill allows students that meet in-state tuition requirements a chance to receive:
•o Board of Governors (BOG) Fee Waiver
•o Institutional Student Aid (administered by individual college or university)
•o Cal Grants (only after all eligible
Californiaresidents have received Competitive awards)
The California Dream Act guarantees that documented residents of California have priority during the appropriation of financial aid fundsundefinedensuring the bill does not cut into financial aid for documented
Californiastudents. Further, the measure ensures that financial aid will be used appropriately, benefiting both undocumented students and the California economy, by requiring undocumented students to verify that they have applied for citizenship before they can become eligible for financial aid.
Similar legislation had been introduced every year since 2005, and every year made its way through the legislature only to be vetoed by
California’s previous governor. WACAC celebrates 2011 as the year
Californiahas embraced its responsibility to educate our youth, and build our economy by investing in education.
[1] McDonough, Patricia M. (2005). Counseling and College Counseling in
America
’s High Schools. National Association for College Admission Counseling.
[2] Holly, Karri & Michael Harris (2010). Selecting Students, Selecting Priorities: How Universities Manage Enrollment During Times of Economic Crisis. Journal of College Admission (16-21).
The Clearinghouse website.
