State Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) plans to introduce a bill Wednesday that would create a framework to allow students at California’s public colleges and universities to receive credit for some online courses.

The bill takes aim at the chronic problem of over-enrollment in core classes at the community college, CSU and UC level, according to Steinberg’s spokesman, Rhys Williams.

The issue has been exacerbated by severe budget cuts and increasing demands on the state’s higher education systems, forcing students to delay degree completion and take on even more student debt, Williams said.

Steinberg is expected to announce his sponsorship of the bill, fittingly, during an online media conference on Google Hangout.

Steinberg’s move comes as Gov. Brown pushes for more online education as a way to cut costs and widen access at state campuses.

Williams said the online course framework, if approved, would be the first of its kind in the country.

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-- Christine Mai-Duc

Photo: State Sen. Darrell Steinberg in a 2012 file photo. Credit: Randy Pench / Sacramento Bee