Governor Jerry Brown's budget proposal would cut 400 million dollars from community colleges and increase fees at two-year schools by ten dollars a unit.

Portantino says that makes this the perfect time to pass his bill which would eliminate a form called the Board of Governors' fee waiver. Instead, community college students would only need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

"In California we require these students to fill out two forms when only one is needed. So this bill streamlines the bureaucracy, makes it easier for students to apply for financial aid, helps the schools, helps the students, and is bad for bureaucrats."

Portantino says many students stop after they've filled out the Board of Governors' fee waiver, and forget about the FAFSA. He says because the FAFSA forms are uncompleted, 500 million dollars of federal aid to California goes unclaimed.