Bill Commons

CA AB 997

dead

Child health and safety: "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plate program.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 997 pass?

No. CA AB 997 did not pass — it was defeated or died in the legislative process. Latest recorded action (2026-02-02): From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

What is CA AB 997 about?

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids" special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare resource and referral programs to identify childcare resources and establish a referral process for parents, among other things. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission, to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates. The bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, allocate, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, 50% of the fees collected before July 1, 2027, to state and local childcare provider licensure, oversight, recruitment, training, and development, and the remainder to childcare safety and health, as specified. Of the fees collected on or after July 1, 2027, the bill would allocate 50% for programs that address specified child health and safety concerns and the remainder of the funding would be allocated for specified child abuse prevention purposes.

Who sponsors CA AB 997?

Stefani is the primary sponsor of CA AB 997.

Description

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids" special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare resource and referral programs to identify childcare resources and establish a referral process for parents, among other things. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission, to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates. The bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, allocate, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, 50% of the fees collected before July 1, 2027, to state and local childcare provider licensure, oversight, recruitment, training, and development, and the remainder to childcare safety and health, as specified. Of the fees collected on or after July 1, 2027, the bill would allocate 50% for programs that address specified child health and safety concerns and the remainder of the funding would be allocated for specified child abuse prevention purposes.

Introduced
—
Latest action
2026-02-02 — From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Stefaniauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-02-02

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

    committee-passage,failure

  2. 2026-01-31

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

    failure

  3. 2025-05-23

    In committee: Held under submission.

  4. 2025-05-21

    Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 1627.)

  5. 2025-05-21

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

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-05-14

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  7. 2025-04-29

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  8. 2025-04-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

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

  9. 2025-03-10

    Referred to Coms. on HUM. S. and TRANS.

    referral-committee

  10. 2025-02-21

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  11. 2025-02-20

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

Documents

Votes

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

    2025-04-08 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Castillo: yes

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

    2025-04-28 · pass · 16-0

    Member-level votes (16)
    • Hoover: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB997

Attribution

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

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