SACRAMENTO –Assemblymember Curren Price (D-Inglewood) announces that he has introduced AB 175 in order to raise the funding levels of Cal Grant B up to modern levels of assistance.  In the last twenty years, the Cal Grant B award has only risen by $141, while real costs to the students have risen by $7,056 within the same time frame.  This bill will create either a five to ten percent increase to Cal Grant B stipends each year until the stipend matches the intended buying power when originally created.

“Over the last 20 years the stipend amount has been stagnant while at the same time the costs of textbooks and supplies have skyrocketed,” said Assemblymember Price.  “This jeopardizes the ability for our students to remain in school and succeed.”

Cal Grant B was created in order to assist students with the rising costs of books and supplies, and currently serves approximately 200,000 of California’s most disadvantaged college students. These students typically come from very low-income families and are the first in their family to go to college.  Cal Grant B awards provide up to $1,551 for "access costs," which include living expenses as well as expenses for transportation, supplies, and books. 

Assemblymember Curren Price was inaugurated on December 4th and serves the 51th Assembly District, which includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Playa Vista, Westchester, Lawndale, West Athens, Lennox, Alondra Park, West Compton, Del Aire, and Willowbrook, as well as portions of the unincorporated area of Ladera.