CA AB 243
enactedPostsecondary education: student financial aid dependency status: juveniles.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
Quick answers
Did CA AB 243 pass?
Yes. CA AB 243 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-11. Latest recorded action (2025-10-11): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 610, Statutes of 2025.
What is CA AB 243 about?
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. A provision of the act requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to annually report, on or before March 31, to the Legislature on their respective institutional financial aid programs. The act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable. Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. For purposes of making an unusual circumstances adjustment regarding the dependency status of student financial aid and institutional financial aid applicants attending, or applying to attend, a California State University, California Community College, or University of California campus, this bill would require a financial aid administrator of the segment or the commission, as applicable, to accept a sworn statement containing information signed under penalty of perjury by an authorized representative of a local educational agency, county child welfare department, or probation department as sufficient documentation, as specified. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of information regarding a minor in proceedings in the juvenile court and related court proceedings and limits access to juvenile case files, as defined. Existing law authorizes only certain individuals to inspect a juvenile case file, including, among others, a local child support agency for the purpose of establishing paternity and establishing and enforcing child support orders and members of children's multidisciplinary teams, persons, or agencies providing treatment or supervision of the minor. This bill would, in order to support a person who is or was previously adjudged a dependent or ward of the juvenile court, placed in foster care or on probation, or taken into the custody of the county probation department, in attending an institution of higher education, as specified, authorize personnel at a county child welfare department, county probation department, or local educational agency to provide, upon request of the person, the institution of higher education, as defined, with specified information, including the sworn statement described in paragraph (1) above. The bill would require all information received by the institution of higher education under these provisions to be confidential and used for certain limited purposes, and would make an intentional violation of this confidentiality provision a misdemeanor. By creating a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Who sponsors CA AB 243?
Ahrens is the primary sponsor of CA AB 243.
Description
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. A provision of the act requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to annually report, on or before March 31, to the Legislature on their respective institutional financial aid programs. The act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable. Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. For purposes of making an unusual circumstances adjustment regarding the dependency status of student financial aid and institutional financial aid applicants attending, or applying to attend, a California State University, California Community College, or University of California campus, this bill would require a financial aid administrator of the segment or the commission, as applicable, to accept a sworn statement containing information signed under penalty of perjury by an authorized representative of a local educational agency, county child welfare department, or probation department as sufficient documentation, as specified. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of information regarding a minor in proceedings in the juvenile court and related court proceedings and limits access to juvenile case files, as defined. Existing law authorizes only certain individuals to inspect a juvenile case file, including, among others, a local child support agency for the purpose of establishing paternity and establishing and enforcing child support orders and members of children's multidisciplinary teams, persons, or agencies providing treatment or supervision of the minor. This bill would, in order to support a person who is or was previously adjudged a dependent or ward of the juvenile court, placed in foster care or on probation, or taken into the custody of the county probation department, in attending an institution of higher education, as specified, authorize personnel at a county child welfare department, county probation department, or local educational agency to provide, upon request of the person, the institution of higher education, as defined, with specified information, including the sworn statement described in paragraph (1) above. The bill would require all information received by the institution of higher education under these provisions to be confidential and used for certain limited purposes, and would make an intentional violation of this confidentiality provision a misdemeanor. By creating a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
- Introduced
- 2025-03-28
- Latest action
- 2025-10-11 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 610, Statutes of 2025.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Ahrensauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-01-14
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-01-15
From printer. May be heard in committee February 14.
2025-02-18
Referred to Coms. on HIGHER ED. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-03-19
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-03-28
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-04-01
Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
referral-committee
2025-04-08
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-23
From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-04-24
Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-01
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 1385.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-01
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-05-14
Referred to Coms. on ED. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-06-11
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 11).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-06-12
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-25
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-07
From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.
committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-07-08
Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2025-07-10
Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-3
2025-07-10
From Consent Calendar.
2025-09-04
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-08
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-10
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2797.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-10
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-11
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3289.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-23
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-11
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-11
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 610, Statutes of 2025.
became-law
Versions
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Votes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-03-18 · pass · 8-0
Member-level votes (10)
- Boerner: yes
- Essayli: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Patel: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Fong: yes
- DeMaio: other
- Sharp-Collins: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2025-04-08 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Dixon: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Papan: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Stefani: yes
Do pass. To Consent Calendar.
2025-04-23 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Pacheco: yes
- Ta: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Hart: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Fong: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Dixon: yes
AB 243 Ahrens Consent Calendar Second Day
2025-05-01 · pass · 76-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Bains: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Fong: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Solache: yes
- Krell: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Lee: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Ta: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Flora: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Soria: yes
- Patel: yes
- Haney: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Hart: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Ward: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Davies: yes
- Berman: yes
- McKinnor: other
- Papan: other
- Chen: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-06-11 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Laird: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Choi: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Gonzalez: other
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2025-06-24 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (13)
- Niello: yes
- Laird: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Stern: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Allen: yes
- Valladares: other
3rd Reading AB243 Ahrens By Wahab
2025-09-10 · pass · 40-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Umberg: yes
- Grove: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Niello: yes
- Jones: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Limón: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Choi: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Laird: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Rubio: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Stern: yes
- Allen: yes
- Caballero: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Becker: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
AB 243 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-09-11 · pass · 80-0
Member-level votes (80)
- Addis: yes
- Haney: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Berman: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Zbur: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Patel: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Hart: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Soria: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Papan: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Davies: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Krell: yes
- Chen: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Bains: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Lee: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Ta: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Macedo: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Ward: yes
- Fong: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Flora: yes
- Garcia: yes
Related bills
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