Sacramento, CA â Assembly Bill (AB) 393 by Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva (D-Orange County) and leaders of the California Faculty Association (CFA) have successfully passed its first hurdle in the state legislature, with a bipartisan vote in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education. The bill will place a moratorium on student tuition and fees at Californiaâs public community colleges and state universities.
Quirk-Silva authored AB 393: The Student Protection Act in response to the financial challenges faced by todayâs college students, including deepening debt and long work hours necessary to supplement their educational costs.
âI have been a teacher for over 30 years and Iâm committed to making sure that all California students have access to higher education. We know that our students are not only struggling to pay their tuition, but to pay for necessities like rent and food,â said Quirk-Silva. According to the California Faculty Association, 40% of students are not dependent upon their parents and must work to support themselves. Additionally, about 25% of students have dependents of their own.
âThis moratorium on tuition will give working class students and their familiesâ assurance that the cost of higher education will be within their reach.â
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva was joined today by the California Faculty Association (CFA), which is a sponsor of AB 393. Those who testified on behalf of the bill include Isaiah De La Cruz, student at CSU East Bay, and Jen Eagan President of the California Faculty Association, to speak and answer questions from the committee.
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Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk represents the 65th Assembly District, which includes the Orange County communities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Palma, and Stanton.