BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.3.3//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:760@debtcollective.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260526T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260526T180000 DTSTAMP:20260610T175947Z URL:https://debtcollective.org/event/california-borrower-action-ab-2771-th e-bppe-sunset-and-fighting-for-what-you-are-owed/ SUMMARY:California Borrower Action: Fighting for What You Are Owed DESCRIPTION:SPECIAL GUEST: TBD\nWere you harmed attending a for-profit coll ege in California? California has a law up for renewal right now and what happens next could determine whether you ever see a dollar back.\nJoin the Debt Collective for a borrower action workshop on California  AB 2771 an d the 2026 sunset review of the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)\, California's state agency responsible for overseeing private col leges and administering the Student Tuition Recovery Fund.\n\nThis is not just an information session. We will walk through our California coalition strategy together\, assign action items\, and make sure every borrower wh o shows up leaves knowing exactly what to do next.\n\nThis call is open to anyone who attended a for-profit or private school in California\, includ ing borrowers who have already had federal loans canceled\, borrowers stil l waiting on Borrower Defense\, Sweet v. McMahon class members\, and borro wers who have never heard of any of these programs before today.\n\nPRIVAT E &\; FEDERAL LOAN BORROWERS\n\nYou do not have to live in California n ow. What matters is that you enrolled there.\nFrequently Asked Questions\n What is the BPPE?\n\nThe Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education is Cal ifornia's state-level agency that licenses and regulates private colleges\ , including most for-profit schools. If you attended a private career scho ol\, art school\, culinary school\, photography school\, or graduate psych ology program in California\, the BPPE almost certainly approved that scho ol to operate.\n\nThe Bureau also oversees the Student Tuition Recovery Fu nd\, a California state fund that can reimburse students for financial har m caused by school closures and fraud. It is separate from federal Borrowe r Defense. It is funded by assessments collected from students at enrollme nt. In most cases\, the schools never told you it existed.\n\nWhat is a su nset review?\n\nCalifornia law requires certain state agencies to go throu gh a periodic review process to prove they should continue to exist. If th e legislature does not vote to reauthorize the BPPE through this process\, the Bureau could stop operating.\n\nThe 2026 sunset review of the BPPE is happening right now. A bill called AB 2771 is the vehicle for reauthoriza tion. A joint hearing before four legislative committees is tentatively sc heduled for late June or July 2026. That hearing is where advocates and bo rrowers can put their stories and their demands directly on the record.\n\ nThis is a narrow window. It will not stay open long. We need to act now.\ n\nWhy does the sunset review matter to borrowers?\n\nBecause it is the be st opportunity in years to change the rules\, not just comply with them.\n \nThe STRF currently has a four-year filing window. For most borrowers fro m schools that closed more than four years ago\, including Brooks Institut e (closed 2016)\, ITT Technical Institute (closed 2016)\, and Argosy Unive rsity (closed 2019)\, that window has already passed. Most of those borrow ers were never told STRF existed. California law required the schools to d isclose it. They did not.\n\nThe sunset review is the moment to ask the le gislature to fix that. We are asking for an amendment to AB 2771 that woul d treat a federal Borrower Defense approval\, the Sweet v. McMahon settlem ent\, or any government designation\, like school group cancelation as a t rigger that eliminates the four-year window entirely. If the federal gover nment has already found your school defrauded you\, California should not turn you away on a technicality the school created.\n\nWhat is the Student Tuition Recovery Fund?\n\nThe STRF is a California state fund administere d by the BPPE's Office of Student Assistance and Relief (OSAR). It was cre ated to reimburse students who lost money when private schools closed or f ailed to deliver what they promised.\n\nEvery student who attended a BPPE- licensed school paid into this fund at enrollment\, at a rate of $0.50 per $1\,000 in tuition. California law required schools to tell students the fund existed. Most for-profit schools did not. Many borrowers paid into a consumer protection fund for years without ever knowing it was there.\n\nC urrent eligibility rules limit claims to four years from the qualifying ev ent\, typically the school's closure date. We are organizing to change tha t.\n\nI already had my federal loans canceled through Borrower Defense or Sweet v. McMahon. Does STRF apply to me?\n\nPossibly\, and this is exactly one of the gaps we are organizing to close.\n\nRight now\, the STRF's eli gibility framework does not clearly cover borrowers who received federal r elief through the Sweet v. McMahon class action settlement or through the Department of Education's settlement and compromise authority\, which is t he legal channel used for the Art Institutes automatic discharges in 2024. If you got relief through one of those pathways rather than through an in dividual Borrower Defense approval\, you may currently be excluded from ST RF\, even though the underlying finding of fraud is the same.\n\nOur amend ment ask explicitly covers all three federal discharge authorities: indivi dual Borrower Defense approvals\, closed school and false certification di scharges\, and settlement and compromise discharges. It also covers Sweet class members. If the legislature passes this amendment\, having received federal relief would open the door to STRF\, not close it.\n\nWhat can I a ctually do?\n\nMore than you think. Come to this call on June 16 and find out what else is in the plan.\n\nWhat is happening with federal Borrower D efense right now?\n\nThe federal picture is not good\, and we are not goin g to pretend otherwise.\n\nThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act\, signed July 4\ , 2025\, suspended the stronger 2022 Borrower Defense rules until 2035. Th e official now overseeing all 452\,770 pending federal claims is Nicholas Kent\, who was the for-profit college industry's chief lobbyist against th e Borrower Defense program before he was confirmed as Under Secretary of E ducation in August 2025. The industry's trade association joined a federal lawsuit in March 2026 seeking to permanently eliminate the program entire ly.\n\nCalifornia's Student Tuition Recovery Fund exists precisely because the federal government cannot always be counted on. That is why the sunse t review matters. That is why we are here.\n\nI do not live in California anymore. Can I still participate?\n\nYes. What matters for STRF eligibilit y is where you were enrolled\, not where you live now. If you attended a C alifornia-licensed school while living in California at the time\, you may qualify regardless of where you are today.\n\nYou can also participate in the advocacy campaign from anywhere.\n\n \;\n\nTuesday\, June 16\, 20 26 - 5:30PM PST / 8:30PM EST \n\n\n\n\n\n.event__location { display: non e\;}\n\n \;\nJoin Our Monthly Borrower Defense Calls\nStay informed. G et support. Take action.\n\nOur Monthly Borrower Defense Calls are designe d for borrowers navigating fraud\, misconduct\, and student loan injustice . Each call provides timely updates on the Borrower Defense landscape\, cu rrent litigation\, and policy developments—alongside practical guidance on asserting your rights and filing claims.\n\nThese calls are both educat ional and action-oriented. You will have space to ask questions\, learn fr om others with similar experiences\, and connect with a community working collectively to challenge predatory student lending.\n\nThroughout the yea r\, we will also host guest speakers from partner organizations\, includin g advocates working in policy\, legal aid\, and borrower defense support\, to share expertise\, updates\, and opportunities for coordinated action.\ n\nWhether you are just getting started or have an open case\, these calls are for you.\n\nMore Events Here ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wordpress-cdn-prod.debtcollective.org/wp -content/uploads/2026/01/15232303/DebtCollective_StudentLoanBorrowerDC_Wid eEdit-14.png CATEGORIES:Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR