CA SB 550
withdrawnCalifornia State University, San Jose: legal partnership pilot program.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
Quick answers
Did CA SB 550 pass?
No. CA SB 550 was withdrawn on 2025-08-29 and is no longer under consideration. Latest recorded action (2025-08-29): August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
What is CA SB 550 about?
The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the segments of postsecondary education in the state, including the University of California and the California State University, and sets forth the missions and functions of those segments. Existing law states that the University of California has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over, among others, instruction in the profession of law. This bill would authorize the Trustees of the California State University to establish a legal education pilot program, consisting of the California State University, San Jose, and a law school accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as an independent nonprofit institution, to operate for a period of 6 academic years. The bill would require the legal education pilot program to commence only if the trustees approve the program, the governing board of the law school approves the program, and the law school has been continuously accredited for a minimum of 5 years before the first cohort graduates from a joint degree program. The bill would authorize the California State University, San Jose, as part of the legal education pilot program, to partner with the nonprofit law school to jointly award a juris doctor degree and to jointly provide certificate and legal education programs at the undergraduate level. The bill would require the California State University, San Jose, and the nonprofit law school to submit certain information, including an administrative plan and enrollment projections, to the trustees and the governing board of the law school before the trustees and governing board vote to approve the pilot program. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct an interim evaluation and a final evaluation of the program, as provided. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2041, and would repeal it as of January 1, 2042. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the California State University, San Jose.
Who sponsors CA SB 550?
Cortese is the primary sponsor of CA SB 550, joined by 1 cosponsor.
Description
The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the segments of postsecondary education in the state, including the University of California and the California State University, and sets forth the missions and functions of those segments. Existing law states that the University of California has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over, among others, instruction in the profession of law. This bill would authorize the Trustees of the California State University to establish a legal education pilot program, consisting of the California State University, San Jose, and a law school accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as an independent nonprofit institution, to operate for a period of 6 academic years. The bill would require the legal education pilot program to commence only if the trustees approve the program, the governing board of the law school approves the program, and the law school has been continuously accredited for a minimum of 5 years before the first cohort graduates from a joint degree program. The bill would authorize the California State University, San Jose, as part of the legal education pilot program, to partner with the nonprofit law school to jointly award a juris doctor degree and to jointly provide certificate and legal education programs at the undergraduate level. The bill would require the California State University, San Jose, and the nonprofit law school to submit certain information, including an administrative plan and enrollment projections, to the trustees and the governing board of the law school before the trustees and governing board vote to approve the pilot program. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct an interim evaluation and a final evaluation of the program, as provided. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2041, and would repeal it as of January 1, 2042. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the California State University, San Jose.
- Introduced
- 2025-02-20
- Latest action
- 2025-08-29 — August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Corteseauthor
- Kalraprincipal coauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-02-20
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
2025-02-21
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
2025-03-05
Referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.
referral-committee
2025-03-26
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-03-27
Withdrawn from committee.
withdrawal
2025-03-27
Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
referral-committee
2025-04-02
Re-referred to Coms. on ED. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-04-04
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-04-09
Set for hearing April 29 in JUD. pending receipt.
2025-04-23
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 865.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-30
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 1. Page 941.) (April 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-05-01
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-05-09
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-19
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-20
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1204.) (May 23).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-23
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-06-02
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 6. Page 1375.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-03
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2025-06-09
Referred to Coms. on HIGHER ED. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-06-24
June 24 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-07-09
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 7. Noes 3.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-09
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-16
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-16
Coauthors revised.
2025-08-20
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29
August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
Versions
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Votes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-04-23 · pass · 5-1
Member-level votes (7)
- Cortese: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Laird: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Choi: no
- Ochoa Bogh: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 10-1
Member-level votes (13)
- Arreguín: yes
- Allen: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Stern: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Niello: no
- Valladares: other
- Weber Pierson: other
Placed on suspense file
2025-05-19 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cabaldon: other
- Dahle: other
Do pass as amended
2025-05-23 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Caballero: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Dahle: other
- Seyarto: other
3rd Reading
2025-06-02 · pass · 29-6
Member-level votes (40)
- Menjivar: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Jones: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Becker: yes
- Laird: yes
- Durazo: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Limón: yes
- Allen: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Stern: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Niello: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Grove: no
- Dahle: no
- Strickland: no
- Choi: no
- Ochoa Bogh: other
- Seyarto: other
- Reyes: other
- Weber Pierson: other
- Hurtado: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-07-08 · pass · 7-3
Member-level votes (10)
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Fong: yes
- Patel: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: no
- Tangipa: no
- DeMaio: no
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-07-15 · pass · 8-2
Member-level votes (12)
- Stefani: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Papan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Sanchez: no
- Macedo: no
- Dixon: other
- Zbur: 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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