CA AB 373
enactedDependency proceedings: counsel.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
Quick answers
Did CA AB 373 pass?
Yes. CA AB 373 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-01. Latest recorded action (2025-10-01): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 146, Statutes of 2025.
What is CA AB 373 about?
Existing law requires the juvenile court to appoint counsel for a child or nonminor dependent in dependency proceedings if they are not represented by counsel, unless the court determines that there would be no benefit from the appointment of counsel. Existing law authorizes counsel to be a district attorney, public defender, or other member of the State Bar, who satisfies certain conditions. Existing law specifies that a primary responsibility of counsel appointed to represent a child or nonminor dependent is to advocate for the protection, safety, and physical and emotional well-being of the child or nonminor dependent. Under existing law, counsel in general is charged with representation of the child's best interests. Existing law requires, when counsel is appointed for a nonminor dependent, counsel to represent the wishes of the nonminor dependent except when advocating for those wishes conflicts with the protection or safety of the nonminor dependent. This bill would remove the requirement that a primary responsibility of appointed counsel is to advocate for the protection, safety, and physical and emotional well-being of a nonminor dependent. The bill would also remove the above-described exception to representing the wishes of the nonminor dependent when those wishes conflict with the protection or safety of the nonminor dependent.
Who sponsors CA AB 373?
Blanca Rubio is the primary sponsor of CA AB 373.
Description
Existing law requires the juvenile court to appoint counsel for a child or nonminor dependent in dependency proceedings if they are not represented by counsel, unless the court determines that there would be no benefit from the appointment of counsel. Existing law authorizes counsel to be a district attorney, public defender, or other member of the State Bar, who satisfies certain conditions. Existing law specifies that a primary responsibility of counsel appointed to represent a child or nonminor dependent is to advocate for the protection, safety, and physical and emotional well-being of the child or nonminor dependent. Under existing law, counsel in general is charged with representation of the child's best interests. Existing law requires, when counsel is appointed for a nonminor dependent, counsel to represent the wishes of the nonminor dependent except when advocating for those wishes conflicts with the protection or safety of the nonminor dependent. This bill would remove the requirement that a primary responsibility of appointed counsel is to advocate for the protection, safety, and physical and emotional well-being of a nonminor dependent. The bill would also remove the above-described exception to representing the wishes of the nonminor dependent when those wishes conflict with the protection or safety of the nonminor dependent.
- Introduced
- 2025-03-11
- Latest action
- 2025-10-01 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 146, Statutes of 2025.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Blanca Rubioauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-02-03
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-02-04
From printer. May be heard in committee March 6.
2025-02-18
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and HUM. S.
referral-committee
2025-03-11
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-03-11
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 11). Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-03-12
Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.
referral-committee
2025-03-26
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (March 25).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-03-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-04-07
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 64. Noes 0. Page 1031.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-04-07
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-05-07
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and HUMAN S.
referral-committee
2025-06-17
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HUMAN S. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on HUMAN S.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-08
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (July 7).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-07-09
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-03
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 8. Page 2445.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-03
In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
committee-passage
2025-09-09
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-01
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-01
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 146, Statutes of 2025.
became-law
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Human Services]
2025-03-11 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Papan: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Sanchez: other
- Essayli: other
- Dixon: other
Do pass.
2025-03-25 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Calderon: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Lee: yes
- Essayli: other
AB 373 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
2025-04-07 · pass · 64-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Carrillo: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Haney: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Hart: yes
- Davies: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Fong: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Krell: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Chen: yes
- Papan: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Addis: yes
- Solache: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Patel: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Flora: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Bains: yes
- Soria: yes
- Ward: yes
- Berman: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Calderon: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Lackey: other
- Patterson: other
- Wallis: other
- Tangipa: other
- Gallagher: other
- Hadwick: other
- Castillo: other
- Ta: other
- Ellis: other
- Dixon: other
- Jeff Gonzalez: other
- Sanchez: other
- Lee: other
- Bauer-Kahan: other
- Hoover: other
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Human Services]
2025-06-17 · pass · 10-1
Member-level votes (13)
- Caballero: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Allen: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- Niello: no
- Valladares: other
- Ashby: other
Do pass
2025-07-07 · pass · 4-1
Member-level votes (5)
- Arreguín: yes
- Limón: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Becker: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: no
3rd Reading AB373 Blanca Rubio By Arreguín
2025-09-03 · pass · 30-8
Member-level votes (40)
- Becker: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Stern: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Limón: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Allen: yes
- Padilla: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Grayson: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Laird: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Strickland: no
- Jones: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Niello: no
- Grove: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Seyarto: no
- Choi: no
- Valladares: other
- Dahle: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
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