Ed roundup: Florez seeks to limit college fee hikes
BY JORGE BARRIENTOS, Californian staff writer
jbarrientos@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, Feb 09 2010 05:45 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Feb 09 2010 05:46 PM

Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has introduced a bill that would cap college fee increases, which rose an unprecedented 32 percent last year for California university students.

"The university has got to stop looking at our students as walking ATM machines," Florez told The Californian on Tuesday, the day he unveiled the bill.

The bill, SB 969, called "The California College and University Fee Stabilization Act of 2010," aims to lock fees throughout a student's college career, much like graduation requirements are locked based on year of admission, Florez said.

It is impossible, he said, for students and their parents to have a clear picture of what a college education will cost because of unpredictable fee spikes. A two-thirds vote is needed to raise taxes, but there is currently no rule in place to stop the university system from raising student fees, Florez said. The bill will put a 5 percent cap on fee increases.

In November, officials approved a 32 percent increase in student fees. Students system-wide protested.

The bill, which he said is feasible even in light of state budget woes, would force colleges and universities to "live within their means."

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1740999362/Ed-roundup-Florez-seeks-to-limit-college-fee-hikes