(a) (1) Neither a campus of the California State University, nor the Chancellor of the California State University shall approve a new student success fee or an increase to an existing student success fee, as defined in subdivision (g), before all of the following requirements are satisfied:

(A) The campus undertakes a rigorous consultation process that informs and educates students on the uses, impact, and cost of any proposed student success fee or student success fee increase.

(B) The campus informs its students of all of the following circumstances, which shall apply to these fees:

(i) That, except as provided in clauses (ii) and (iii), a student success fee may be rescinded by a majority vote of the students, as specified in subdivision (c).

(ii) That a student success fee shall not be rescinded earlier than six years following the vote to implement the fee.

(iii) If any portion of the student success fee is committed to support a long-term obligation, that portion of the fee shall not be rescinded until the obligation has been satisfied.

(C) The campus shall hold a binding student election on the implementation of any proposed student success fees, or any increase to an existing student success fee, and a majority of the student body voting on the fee must vote affirmatively.

(2) Implementation of a fee supported by a majority of the campus student body voting on the fee is contingent upon the final approval of the Chancellor of the California State University.

(3) A student success fee proposal shall not be brought before the student body more frequently than once per academic year.

(b) A student success fee in place on January 1, 2016, may be rescinded by a binding student vote under the procedures authorized in subdivision (c) only after at least six years have elapsed following the implementation of the fee.

(c) (1) Student success fees may be rescinded with a binding student vote if a simple majority of those students voting vote to rescind the fee. The student vote shall comply with all of the following:

(A) A campus decision to vote is formally approved by the recognized student government.

(B) Rescission vote proposals shall not be brought before the student body more frequently than once per academic year.

(C) In the process of reconsidering a student success fee, and before the student vote occurs, the students shall be informed, if a portion of the fee is supporting a long-term obligation, the dollar amount of that portion, and the date on which the long-term obligation would be satisfied.

(2) A new contractual or other obligation that would be supported by the rescinded student success fee shall not be entered into following a vote to rescind the fee.

(d) The Chancellor of the California State University shall ensure that all of the following occur on each campus:

(1) There is majority student representation in campus student success fee allocation oversight groups.

(2) There is an annual report from each campus to the chancellor on student success fees.

(3) There is uniform, transparent, online accountability in the decisionmaking process for, and a detailed accounting of, the allocation of student success fees.

(e) The Chancellor of the California State University shall establish appropriate reporting procedures to ensure that a campus is in compliance with the requirements of this section.

(f) The chancellor shall report, by December 1 of each year, to the Department of Finance, and the Legislature pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, a summary of the fees adopted or rescinded in the prior academic year, and the uses of proposed and currently implemented fees.

(g) For purposes of this section, a “student success fee” is a type of category II campus-based mandatory fee that is required to be paid by a student before that student may enroll or attend a campus of the California State University, as determined by that campus or the Chancellor of the California State University.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 78. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)