Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Bill 19, authored by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), which will allow community colleges to waive fees for first time, full-time community college students for one year.

The measure was co-authored by Assemblymen David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento). It will expand the number of students eligible for a community college fee waiver. Santiago said it will boost enrollment and graduation rates, expand access to financial aid and decrease student debt. The measure will also increase the number of college-educated workers needed to sustain California’s workforce.

“Community college changed my life,” Santiago said. “It gave me choices and opportunities and it opened doors. I know that free community college will change the lives of all Californians. To educate a community is to empower a community.”