Legislation to Watch in 2025


Early Care & Education

  • AB 1471 (Soria) - Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies: Emergencies & Disasters - R&R Network Bill
    • Revises WIC code to codify the duties and responsibilities of resource and referrals outlined in the 2023 State Disaster plan. Upon appropriation, provides dedicated funding for those roles and responsibilities.
    • Fact sheet
  • AB 271 (Reyes) Public Postsecondary Education: Students with dependent children
    • Adds child care to basic needs services and resources for students to provide information on affordable child care options near campus, information and connections to resource and referral agencies and local planning councils, and assistance in applying to state and federal child care subsidies and programs.
  • AB 276 (Bennett) Background Checks
    • Authorizes a licensee of a community care facility to approve an individual to care for children before another state’s child abuse and neglect registry check under certain, specified conditions.
  • AB 318 (Alanis) Child daycare: Application Fee
    • Authorizes a child daycare facility to use a bona fide business or personal check to pay the initial application fee and beginning 2027, requires the department to accept credit card payments for initial application fees and license fees from child daycare facilities. Also requires the department, no later than 2027, to accept initial applications for licensure electronically.
    • Fact Sheet
  • AB 563 (Jackson) Childcare Strategic Planning Councils
    • Renames “local planning council” to “strategic planning council” and revises the definition of “childcare” to include early childhood education services.
  • AB 636 (Ortega) Medi-Cal Diapers
    • Includes diapers as a covered Medi-Cal benefit for a child greater than 3 years of age who has been diagnosed with a condition, as specified, that contributes to incontinence, and for an individual under 21 years of age if necessary to correct or ameliorate a condition pursuant to certain federal standards.
  • AB 753 (Garcia) Facility Licensure: Teacher Requirements
    • Provides CSPP teachers 2 years to complete all necessary credentials/coursework to meet the requirements of their position under certain conditions.
  • AB 997 (Stefani) License Plate Program
    • Increases fees for initial issuance and renewal of the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates, in which 50% of the fees go toward state and local child care provider licensure, oversight, recruitment, training, and development, and the remainder to childcare safety and health, as specified.
  • SB 99 (Blakespear) Family Child Care Homes: U.S. Armed Forces
    • Provides certain licensing exemptions for a family childcare home administered by a person certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the United States Armed Forces and that exclusively provides care for children of eligible federal personnel, as defined, and surviving spouses.
  • SB 778 (Limon) Migrant Child Care and Development Programs
    • Updates the definition of a “migrant agricultural worker” to “a family with at least one individual who has earned at least 40% of their total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture, or agriculturally related work during the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of application for child care and development services.”
  • SB 792 (Arreguin) State Median Income Threshold
    • Revises the income eligibility for the third stage of child care services to also be 85% of the state median income, adjusted for family size.

Establishing and Reinforcing Safe Spaces

  • AB 49 (Muratsuchi): Schoolsites and Day Care Centers: Entry Requirements: Immigration Enforcement
    • Prohibits school officials and employes from allowing an officer or employee of ICE to enter a school site for any purpose without providing valid ID, a written statement of purpose, and valid judicial warrant and receiving approval from the superintendent of the school district, the superintendent of the county office of education, or the principal of the charter school, or their designee, as applicable.
    • Fact Sheet
  • AB 421 (Solache): Immigration Enforcement: Prohibitions on Access, Sharing Information, and Law Enforcement Collaboration
    • Prohibits California law enforcement agencies from collaborating with, or providing any information in writing, verbally, on in any other manner to, immigration authorities regarding proposed or currently underway immigration enforcement actions when the actions could be or are taking place within a radius of one mile of any childcare or daycare facility, religious institution, place of worship, hospital, or medical office.
  • SB 48 (Gonzalez): Immigration Enforcement: Schoolsites: Prohibitions on Access, Sharing Information, and Law Enforcement Collaboration.
    • Prohibits school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools and their personnel from granting a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, or other federal official engaging in immigration related investigation or enforcement, permission to access a school campus without a judicial warrant.
    • Fact Sheet
  • SB 98 (Pérez): Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Education: Immigration Enforcement: Notification.
    • Requires each school district, county office of education, and charter school to immediately notify all pupils, parents, faculty, staff, and other school community members of the presence of immigration officers, as defined, on the schoolsite.

Other:

  • AB 65 (Aguiar-Curry): Pregnancy Leave for Educators Coalition Letter of Support
    • Provides up to 14 weeks of a leave of absence with specified pay benefits for an employee who is required to be absent from duty because of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from those conditions, as provided.

California Special Session

On November 7, Governor Newsom announced the convening of a Special Session to "safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration." The Special Session, which allows the Legislature to convene and address specific issues or topics outside of the regular legislative schedule, will focus on bolstering California's legal resources to protect "civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families." The Special Session met for the first time following the swearing-in of new members on December 2, 2024, and will reconvene on January 6, 2025.

Special Session Bills to Watch:

  • SBX1 1 (Wiener):
    • $35 million for the Attorney General's office for litigation efforts against the federal government and for actions taken by the federal government.
      • $25 million to be used for state legal actions.
      • Up to $10 million for city attorneys and county counsels for similar litigation efforts.
      • $10 million for the Equal Access Fund (EAF) to provide legal services.
      • $10 million for One California to fund immigration legal services.
      • $5 million for the California Access to Justice Commission to support infrastructure data security projects to protect client, staff, and volunteer data.
  • ABX1 1 (Gabriel):
    • $25 million for the Department of Justice to cover costs of potential litigation related to the new federal administration.
  • ABX1 2 (Gabriel):
    • $500k to fund initial case preparation at the Department of Justice.

Special Session Resources:

  • The Governor's office released the following factsheet about priorities for the special session.
  • Read more about what's next in the special session here.

Successful Legislation

  • AB 1808 (Nguyen and Davies) - Creating Consistency in Eligibility Periods Across Child Care Programs
    • Would establish a consistent 24 month eligibility period for all income-eligible families within CalWORKs.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/22/24.
  • SB 1112 (Menjivar) - Creating a Cross-Enrollment System
    • Would require coordination and collaboration between Medi-Cal and Alternative Payment Agencies to assist families with Medi-Cal enrollment of an eligible child and to refer Medi-Cal recipients to additional developmental screenings and interventions.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/30/24.
  • AB 2343 (Schiavo) - Allowing Enhanced Support for CalWORKs Childcare Programs
    • Would specify that there are no restrictions for agencies administering CalWORKs Stage 1 and Stage 2 child care programs from providing enhanced support and navigation for families experiencing homelessness, escaping domestic violence, or both.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/29/24.
  • AB 1907 (Pellerin) - Integrating CANS into the California Child and Family Review System
    • Would require outcome indicators used by the California Health and Human Services Agency workgroup (used to review all county child welfare systems) to include data from the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment tool.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/29/24.
  • AB 2123 (Papan) - Increasing Access to Paid Family Leave
    • Would allow California employees to access Paid Family Leave benefits without first using up their two weeks of accrued vacation.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/29/24.
  • SB 1090 (Durazo) - Allowing Early Application for Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance Benefits
    • Would allow California Workers to apply for Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance benefits up to 30 days before they go on leave.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Signed by the Governor on 9/28/24.
  • SB 380 (Limón) - (Formerly Early Learning and Care: Rate Reform) Amended to California State Preschool Programs: Age of Eligibility
    • SB 380 would allow California preschool contractors to enroll eligible 2-year-old children until July 1, 2027. After which, contractors may only continue serving 2-year-olds enrolled before July 1, 2027.
    • Status: Adopted in Trailer Bill SB 163: Early Learning and Childcare. Signed by Governor on 7/2/2024.

Stalled Legislation

  • AB 2206 (Addis) - Reducing Fire Clearance Requirements for Child Daycare Facilities
    • Would no longer require a child daycare facility to obtain a revised fire clearance for the addition of each nonambulatory child once approved for enrollment. This would apply to child care facilities that obtained clearance before January 1, 2025.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Held in first chamber.
  • AB 1925 (Rendon) - Extending Child Care and Development Program Eligibility
    • Would add children who are eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to the eligibility criterion for General Child Care and Development programs.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Held in first chamber.
  • AB 2476 (Bonta) - Establishing Up-Front Child Care Payments
    • Would ensure that child care providers that receive payment through California's Alternative Payment Program (CAPP) receive payment prior to providing services.
    • View Fact Sheet
    • Status: Passed in first chamber. Held in second chamber.

Note: What’s a 2 year bill?

  • The California Legislature convenes in biennial sessions (2 years long).
  • Bills may be introduced in either year. (odd # year - even # year; the current session is 2023-2024)
  • A bill introduced in the first year can be carried over to the second year.
  • It must pass in the house of origin by 1/31 of the second year.

(last updated 12/18/24)

2023 Legislative Highlights

Successful Legislation

  • AB 110 - Early childcare and education.
    • Authorizes temporary rate increases for childcare providers and contractors.
    • Extends the prohibition on collecting family fees through September 30, 2023, and allocates previously appropriated federal funds for childcare access expansion and family fee waivers in the 2023–24 fiscal year.
    • Signed by Governor on 5/15/2023.
  • AB 590 (Hart) - Advance Payments for State Grants & Nonprofits
    • Authorizes nonprofits to get upfront funds, removing the burden of covering significant expenses until reimbursed or having to take out high interest loans to get new programs going.

Stalled Legislation

  • AB 51 (Bonta) - Early childcare and education.
    • Would expand R&R services to include navigation and referral services for preschool and TK programs.
    • 9/13/23: Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Ashby.
    • For most recent status and language, click here.
  • AB 1038 (Rendon) - Family childcare home education networks.
    • Would codify standards and best practices for FCCHEN contractors and providers.
    • 9/12/23: Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Dahle.
    • For most recent status and language, click here.
  • SB 533 (Limón) - Income taxes: credit: childcare.
    • Would create a tax credit of as much as $30,000 for the start-up costs of childcare programs or centers primarily for the taxpayer's employees.
    • 1/18/24: Did not clear suspense file.
  • SB 767 (Rubio) Elementary education: kindergarten.
    • Would require public school students to finish one year of kindergarten before entering first grade.
    • 1/18/24: Did not clear suspense file.

(last updated 1/25/2024)