Bill Commons

CA AB 651

enacted

Juveniles: dependency: incarcerated parent.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 651 pass?

Yes. CA AB 651 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2025-10-03): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 274, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 651 about?

Existing law requires notice of, and the opportunity for an incarcerated parent to be physically present in, proceedings terminating their parental rights or seeking to adjudicate the child of a prisoner a dependent child of the court. Existing law prohibits these proceedings from being adjudicated without the physical presence of the parent unless the court receives a knowing waiver from the parent of their right to be physically present at the proceedings, or an affidavit signed by a person in charge of the incarcerating institution that the prisoner does not intend to appear at the proceeding. Existing law authorizes, in the court's discretion, an incarcerated parent who has waived the right to be physically present at those proceedings to be given the opportunity to participate in the proceeding by videoconference, if that technology is available. Existing law authorizes, if videoconferencing technology is not available, the use of teleconferencing. This bill would also require notice of, and the opportunity for an incarcerated parent to be physically present in, specified additional dependency hearings relating to their child. The bill would additionally require an incarcerated parent who has waived the right to be physically present to be given the opportunity to participate in those proceedings by videoconference, and, if videoconferencing technology is not available, require the use of teleconferencing. By increasing the duties of local county jail officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law entitles a minor who is the subject of a juvenile court hearing to be present at that hearing and specifies that the minor has the right to be represented at the hearing by counsel of their choice. Existing law requires the court to inform the minor, if the minor is present at the hearing, of their right to address the court and participate in the hearing. Existing law requires the court, if the minor is 10 years of age or older and not present at the hearing, to determine whether the minor was properly notified of their right to attend the hearing and inquire whether they were given an opportunity to attend. Existing law generally requires the court to continue the hearing to allow the minor to be present, if they were not properly notified or if they wished to present, but were not given the opportunity. Existing law requires the court to continue the hearing only for the period of time necessary to provide the child notice and secure their presence. This bill would expand the above provisions to include nonminor dependents. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Who sponsors CA AB 651?

Bryan is the primary sponsor of CA AB 651, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law requires notice of, and the opportunity for an incarcerated parent to be physically present in, proceedings terminating their parental rights or seeking to adjudicate the child of a prisoner a dependent child of the court. Existing law prohibits these proceedings from being adjudicated without the physical presence of the parent unless the court receives a knowing waiver from the parent of their right to be physically present at the proceedings, or an affidavit signed by a person in charge of the incarcerating institution that the prisoner does not intend to appear at the proceeding. Existing law authorizes, in the court's discretion, an incarcerated parent who has waived the right to be physically present at those proceedings to be given the opportunity to participate in the proceeding by videoconference, if that technology is available. Existing law authorizes, if videoconferencing technology is not available, the use of teleconferencing. This bill would also require notice of, and the opportunity for an incarcerated parent to be physically present in, specified additional dependency hearings relating to their child. The bill would additionally require an incarcerated parent who has waived the right to be physically present to be given the opportunity to participate in those proceedings by videoconference, and, if videoconferencing technology is not available, require the use of teleconferencing. By increasing the duties of local county jail officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law entitles a minor who is the subject of a juvenile court hearing to be present at that hearing and specifies that the minor has the right to be represented at the hearing by counsel of their choice. Existing law requires the court to inform the minor, if the minor is present at the hearing, of their right to address the court and participate in the hearing. Existing law requires the court, if the minor is 10 years of age or older and not present at the hearing, to determine whether the minor was properly notified of their right to attend the hearing and inquire whether they were given an opportunity to attend. Existing law generally requires the court to continue the hearing to allow the minor to be present, if they were not properly notified or if they wished to present, but were not given the opportunity. Existing law requires the court to continue the hearing only for the period of time necessary to provide the child notice and secure their presence. This bill would expand the above provisions to include nonminor dependents. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Introduced
2025-04-09
Latest action
2025-10-03 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 274, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Bryanauthor
  • Solacheprincipal coauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2025-10-03

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 274, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

  2. 2025-10-03

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  3. 2025-09-11

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  4. 2025-09-04

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

    committee-passage

  5. 2025-09-04

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2522.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  6. 2025-09-02

    Ordered to special consent calendar.

  7. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  8. 2025-08-29

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  9. 2025-08-18

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  10. 2025-07-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  11. 2025-07-02

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  12. 2025-06-18

    Referred to Coms. on PUB. S. and JUD.

    referral-committee

  13. 2025-06-04

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  14. 2025-06-03

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1975.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  15. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  16. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  17. 2025-05-07

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  18. 2025-04-22

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  19. 2025-04-10

    Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    referral-committee

  20. 2025-04-09

    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

  21. 2025-04-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  22. 2025-03-17

    Referred to Coms. on PUB. S. and JUD.

    referral-committee

  23. 2025-02-14

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.

  24. 2025-02-13

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 02/13/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-13Compare
  • 04/09/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-09Compare
  • 09/08/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-08Compare
  • 10/03/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-03Compare
  • AB651Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-08 · pass · 9-0

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Mark González: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Alanis: yes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-22 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (12)
    • Kalra: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Bryan: yes

  • Do pass.

    2025-05-23 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Sanchez: other

  • AB 651 Bryan Assembly Third Reading

    2025-06-03 · pass · 79-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-01 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Wiener: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Pérez: yes

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-08 · pass · 13-0

    Member-level votes (13)
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Umberg: yes

  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-08-18 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Grayson: yes

  • Do pass

    2025-08-29 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes

  • Special Consent AB651 Bryan et al.

    2025-09-04 · pass · 39-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Stern: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Reyes: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB651

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

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