Assemblymember Berman Introduces Bill to Protect Minority Student Support Programs
Assemblymember Marc Berman has introduced AB 2121, a measure designed to preserve
equity-driven programs such as MSI and TRIO that support low-income and first-generation
students across California.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) has introduced Assembly Bill 2121, the Defending
Student Equity and Access Act, to protect critical programs for vulnerable community
college students under attack by the federal administration.
In September 2025, the Trump administration terminated $350 million in Minority Serving
Institution (MSI) grants, leaving colleges without funding for these vital student
support programs. The administration's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget seeks to eliminate
MSI and TRIO programs entirely, threatening long-standing initiatives that provide
counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and transfer guidance to more than 1.6 million California community
college students. These cuts threaten services that help California's most vulnerable
students – low-income, first-generation, and students of color – complete their degrees.
AB 2121, sponsored by West Valley-Mission Community College District, responds to
the administration's systematic dismantling of federal student success programs by
removing barriers that prevent community colleges from backfilling this loss in federal
funding.
"The Trump administration's assault on higher education is an attack on historically
marginalized students who rely on these critical programs to stay in school and succeed," said
Assemblymember Berman. "When President Trump pulls the rug out from under our most
vulnerable students, California must fight back, holding firm to our values of equity
and access to higher education. AB 2121 empowers our community colleges to save these
programs and continue supporting their students, who deserve better than to become
collateral damage in this administration’s cruel agenda.”
Assemblymember Marc Berman, joined by students and education leaders, announces
Assembly Bill 2121, legislation aimed at protecting critical community college support
programs threatened by recent federal funding cuts.
MSI programs provide support at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American
and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Serving institutions (AANHPIs), and other colleges
serving high concentrations of underrepresented students. Research shows these programs
significantly increase college completion rates for students who would otherwise be
least likely to persist. More than 90 percent of California's community colleges are
designated HSIs, with the state receiving roughly 70 percent of all federal HSI funding,
while 50 community colleges participate in the AANHPI Student Achievement Program.
TRIO programs serve low-income and first-generation students nationwide through tutoring,
mentoring, college application assistance, and financial aid guidance. In California
alone, more than 440 TRIO projects serve students with over $150 million in annual
federal funding.
"Community colleges exist to serve students who have been historically excluded from
opportunity," said Chancellor Bradley J. Davis of the West Valley-Mission Community
College District. "Federal efforts to dismantle equity-driven programs strike at the
heart of that mission. This bill ensures that California law does not compound that
harm by preventing colleges from sustaining critical support for their students."
Under current law, federal grant dollars are excluded from California's Fifty Percent
Law, which requires community colleges to spend at least fifty percent of their expenditures
on classroom instructors. However, if community colleges want to backfill this federal
funding the Fifty Percent Law would apply to those replacement dollars, impacting
compliance and penalizing community colleges for stepping up to help their students.
AB 2121 enables community colleges to backfill the federal cuts to MSIs and TRIO programs.
By temporarily excluding those backfill dollars from the Fifty Percent Law, community
colleges can preserve these federally-defunded student support programs.
"I'm first-generation, and honestly, without AANHPI or TRIO, I wouldn't be here,"
said Miya Torres, a West Valley College student. "The advisors and tutors who checked
in when things got hard are the reason I'm still enrolled. That's the reason a lot
of us are. If those programs disappear, it's not just a budget line. It's real students
who don't make it through."
AB 2121 includes transparency requirements and annual district certifications, with
a sunset after five years or upon restoration of federal funding, whichever occurs
first. The bill maintains safeguards for faculty, such as not reducing spending on
classroom instructors. AB 2121 does not request new state funding or create any state
backfill requirement and would take effect immediately.
"Coming from a low-income family, college felt like it wasn't made for people like
me," said Jissel Alvarez, Mission College student and Vice President of the Associated
Student Government. "TRIO gave me tutors, advisors, people who actually understood
where I was coming from. Losing that support doesn't just hurt grades, it's the difference
between finishing and dropping out."
Benjamin Demers Director of Marketing and Public Relations [email protected]
About Mission College
Mission College is a leading institution of higher education dedicated to providing
accessible, high-quality education that empowers students to succeed.
With a commitment to student success, equity, and innovation, Mission College offers
a diverse range of academic programs, exceptional faculty, and supportive services
to foster a thriving educational community.
