Nearly 1,800 new bills have been introduced to the California legislature for the 2026 session. We sifted through them to find those relevant to Undivided families, so you don’t have to! If you like these bills and want to help get them passed, contact your state representative (State Senator for SB bills and Assemblymember for AB bills). Use findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov to find the rep assigned to your area.
There are bills on special education services, mental health access, IHSS, Regional Center, and Medi-Cal accessibility. Key proposals include changes to the state level governance structure over education, establishing searchable databases for special education complaints, and expanding Medi-Cal waivers to eliminate waiting lists for families.
There are key changes being discussed in the provision of public education TK-12 in our state. The California School Board Association is sponsoring a package of bills aimed at recentering our state effort to close the achievement gaps between different demographic groups in our schools. The package aims to hold state programs and initiatives accountable for their effectiveness. This includes AB 2225: State Plan to Close the Achievement Gap (Patel), AB 2149: Annual Report on State Plan Progress and Alignment (Garcia), AB 2514: State of the Achievement Gap Dashboard (Ransom) and AB 2202: Embedding the Plan in State Education Governance (Muratsuchi). Assemblymember Ransom said, “Transparency and accountability are essential if we want to close achievement gaps. AB 2514 will give parents, educators, and communities a clear view of whether state policies and programs are making a difference for students.”
These bills do not explicitly mention special education, but since students with disabilities have the biggest achievement gap, the state agencies involved in the effort will have a hard time closing the gap without improving special education — but will special education experts be included in the planning discussion?
Another proposal is coming from Governor Newsom to change the relationship between the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Governor’s Administration. The issue is designed to improve California governance based on a recent report from PACE. In the CDE, special education is often heavily siloed and relegated in the administrative ladder and the department currently gets very little funding for state level activity. The proposal is for the governor to appoint a Commissioner of Education to manage the CDE, while the elected State Superintendent of Education will sit as a member of the State Board of Education. The proposal falls under AB 2117 State Board of Education: Superintendent of Public Instruction: Education Commissioner.
These bills are not specifically aimed at students with disabilities but may impact them:
AB-2555 English learners: reclassification
The bill simplifies how English learners are reclassified as proficient by replacing the current multi-criteria process with a primarily test-based standard, while still allowing some flexibility for students with IEPs through alternative demonstrations of proficiency. It also increases transparency and communication with families, requires ongoing monitoring of reclassified students, and phases out the existing reclassification rules by 2028.
AB-1631 Elementary education: kindergarten
This proposed law will require that students entering public school at age 6 with no kindergarten education must complete a year in kindergarten before entering first grade. This bill does not change the age for mandatory education in California (6 years old), and it only makes kindergarten mandatory for children entering public school. This does not impact children who have completed a year of kindergarten in private school or a homeschool PSA or in another state. The bill also gives the administration of the school district or charter school discretion to determine that a child is ready for first grade work and admit them to the first grade with the consent of the child’s parent or guardian if the child is at least 5 years old.
AB 2704 – Children and Youth Behavioral Health: Services
Thanks to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), initiated via the 2021-2022 California budget and expanded by subsequent legislation (including 2025's SB 862), schools are now able to fund mental health services through insurance, allowing them to expand much-needed services for youth. This bill would set up a pilot program to establish a fee schedule for such services.
Here are some bills aimed specifically at students with disabilities:
AB-1861 Special education: complaint database (Lackey)
The bill will require the California Department of Education (CDE) to publish all the state complaint findings on a database. California residents can already access all the state complaint findings by requesting them from SEDPRA@cde.ca.gov, but this will make them searchable and accessible to parents. (SCDD Supports)
The bill sets up a statewide resource to provide training and technical assistance to schools regarding the alternative pathway and other ways of facilitating graduation with a high school diploma.
AB-2468 School accountability: pupils with disabilities: inclusion
Supporting Innovative Practices (SIP) is a project that provides training and technical assistance to school districts with a focus on opening access to inclusive learning environments. This bill reestablishes the project within the California Collaborative for Excellence in Education, which centers this inclusion work within a general education space rather than in a special education silo. You can read about the great work that SIP has been doing in this PACE report.
AB-2490 Teacher credentialing: substitute teachers: days of service
Currently, schools are limited when they have a sub with a temporary credential and are not allowed to keep the same sub for an extended period. For special education subs, this may be as little as 20-30 days. This bill would allow a teacher with a temporary credential to serve in the same position for 60 days. There is a trade off here between the need to have consistent subs in self-contained classrooms and the state discouraging schools from hiring staff who lack the full credentials.
AB-2189 State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD)
This bill, sponsored by the ARC of California, sets up $800,000 for the SCDD to award grants for statewide advocacy organizations to conduct outreach and training that provides special education pupils and their families with information regarding special education advocacy and rights. (SCDD Supports)
AB 2241 – Inclusive Playgrounds
When state or local funds are used for a school playground, the Department of General Services makes sure the project meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This bill creates an Inclusive School Playground Advisory Committee to coordinate with the department to develop and publish model guidelines for inclusive school playgrounds, as provided. The department will identify grant programs within the department that fund school playgrounds and amend guidelines for those grant programs to prioritize proposed projects that meet the model guidelines, and collaborate with other state agencies to encourage funding mechanisms for other playgrounds to similarly incentivize projects that meet the model guidelines.
There are also several bills that focus on early childhood education.
AB 2092 – Early Childhood Integrated Data System
This bill establishes a statewide Early Childhood Integrated Data System in the State Department of Social Services to link data across programs serving children from birth to five 5 years of age. The bill also set up an Interagency Early Childhood Data Task Force to coordinate efforts on development and implementation of the system.
SB 1110 – Early Learning and Care: Rates
This changes how state early learning programs such as California State Preschool Programs (CSPP) are funded. Center-based Childcare and Development Programs are administered by the State Department of Social Services. It switches funding from daily attendance rates to maintaining enrollment. Programs can budget and staff more reliably without being penalized for normal attendance variation. It also provides more flexibility for administrative costs, which are capped at 25%. California State Preschool Programs are administered by the State Department of Education under the Early Education Act — these are the part-day and full-day state preschool slots serving low-income 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, including inclusive classrooms serving children with disabilities. This would also impact Alternative Payment Programs that administer vouchers/subsidies allowing parents to choose their own childcare provider. This does not cover family childcare homes, privately funded preschools, Head Start (federally funded separately) or Regional Center funded early intervention (although there is often overlap with children who are in both systems).
AB 2278 – IHSS: Innovative Technologies (Contra Costa Pilot)
This bill sets up a pilot project in Contra Costa County designed to decrease IHSS application processing times. A small step in the right direction.
SB 1052 – State Council on Developmental Disabilities: Appointing Representatives
Sponsored by the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), and The Arc of CA, this bill strengthens protections for people with developmental disabilities who have no parent, guardian, or conservator to advocate for them by giving the State Council on Developmental Disabilities clearer authority to investigate situations where someone's rights may not be protected, appoint a representative on their behalf, and even name a backup "contingent" representative in advance in case the primary one becomes unavailable. Critically, the bill defines "good cause" to remove or block an appointed representative when that person has a conflict of interest or is making decisions that go against the wishes or best interests of the individual with a disability — a safeguard that ensures the representative truly serves the person, not their own agenda. For immigrant families who may fear that ICE activity could suddenly make a parent or caregiver unavailable, this bill matters because it creates a legal mechanism to have a trusted backup advocate already designated and ready to step in, helping ensure that a child or adult with a developmental disability is never left without someone in their corner.
AB 2414 – Developmental Services: Direct Support Professionals
AB 2414 strengthens the quality of care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by establishing clear standards and enhanced training requirements for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) — the workers families rely on every day for support with community inclusion, daily living skills, and personal growth. The bill creates a pathway for pay differentials tied to training completion, incentivizing a more skilled and stable workforce, which means less turnover and more consistent support for children and adults with disabilities. It also expands equity in access by providing pay differentials for bilingual and multilingual DSPs, ensuring that families who communicate in languages other than English — including American Sign Language — can receive services from staff who truly understand and connect with them.
AB 2209 – Developmental Services: Caregiver Succession
This bill helps Regional Center families plan for future care when a parent or caregiver can no longer provide support by including any caregiver succession plan in the consumer’s IPP. The bill requires a person-centered discussion regarding caregiver succession when the primary caregiver or authorized representatives reaches 55 years of age. The discussion must reflect the Regional Center client’s wishes, goals, and maximum independence, and be consistent with supported decision-making principles. (SCDD Supports)
SB 969 – Developmental Services: Remote Services and Supports
This bill requires the department to develop a list of Regional Center remote services. Individuals and families can voluntarily elect to receive remote services, as available, if it is determined in the IPP meeting that remote delivery would effectively meet the needs of an individual. (SCDD Supports)
AB-2081 Medi-Cal: Home and Community-Based Alternatives Waiver
This bill significantly expands access to the HCBA waiver by requiring at least 10,000 new slots each year, with the goal of eliminating long waiting lists for families who need in-home supports. This means more children and adults with significant disabilities could receive care at home instead of facing institutional placement, along with better care coordination and services. By removing cost barriers and increasing accountability, the bill makes it more likely that families can actually access the supports their children are eligible for. (SCDD Supports)
AB 1648 – Public Health: California Epilepsy Program
This bill requires the State Department of Public Health (DPH) to establish the California Epilepsy Program for the purposes of epidemiological assessments of the incidence and prevalence of epilepsy and seizures. DPH will convene an advisory panel and seek private or public funding for the program.
SB 1422 – Medi-Cal: Eligibility: Immigration Status
This bill would make an adult (age 19+) who does not have satisfactory immigration status eligible for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits subject to certain limitations, such as the payment of premiums and certain dental benefits.
AB 2201 – Medi-Cal: Eligibility Redetermination
Medi-Cal redetermination is switching to every 6 months rather than every 12 months. This bill aims to improve the renewal process to prevent families from losing coverage due to paperwork issues. This bill requires county offices to verify countable income and assets at renewal without requesting additional verification information or documentation.
AB 2208 – Medi-Cal: Cost Sharing, Retroactivity, and Accessibility
This bill applies to adults ages 19–64 on Medi-Cal with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level (often called “Medi-Cal expansion adults”), but it also affects all Medi-Cal applicants (including children and families) by ensuring easier application and renewal processes and expanded retroactive coverage (help paying for care before you applied). This bill keeps Medi-Cal costs essentially free to those who qualify ($0.01 copay), restores up to three months of retroactive coverage, and makes it easier for families to apply and stay enrolled.
SB 1202 – Medi-Cal: Dashboard and Outreach
This bill creates a public dashboard to improve transparency and help families better understand and access Medi-Cal. The dashboard would provide data on applications, enrollment, redeterminations, disenrollments, and terminations, with certain objectives in consideration related to the impact of the federal restrictions on Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollment.
AB 2756 – Medi-Cal: Vision Services: Performance Measures
This bill requires the state to start publicly tracking and reporting data on whether kids are actually getting their eyes examined and receiving eyeglasses through Medi-Cal. Right now, California has no consistent public information on how well the program is delivering vision care, and research shows that most kids on Medi-Cal may not be getting the eye care they need. This bill creates accountability by setting performance goals that the state must meet and publish, so families and advocates can see exactly where the system is falling short.
AB 1561 – Medi-Cal: Complex Rehabilitation Technology
This bill expands access to essential equipment like wheelchairs and adaptive devices for Medi-Cal recipients by removing the need for prior authorization for repairs under $1,250. It also requires manufacturers to record details of the repairs. (SCDD Supports)
AB 2348 – Medi-Cal: Community Supports
The CalAIM initiative was created to improve quality outcomes, reduce health disparities, and transition and transform the Medi-Cal program to a more consistent and seamless system by reducing complexity and increasing flexibility. It ends in December 2026. This bill will allow a Medi-Cal managed care plan to continue to fund community supports approved by the State Department of Health Care Services, and it requires the department to continue to report on Medi-Cal effectiveness and provide technical assistance to the managed care plans.
AB 1126 – Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans: Enrollees with Other Coverage
This legislation would be a significant win for families navigating dual coverage with Medi-Cal and private insurance. It would allow a provider who already participates in Medi-Cal fee-for-service (the regular Medi-Cal system) to bill your child's Medi-Cal managed care plan for whatever costs your private insurance didn't cover — without needing to be contracted with that specific managed care plan. In plain terms: more of your child's existing providers can stay involved in their care.
A few important nuances for Medi-Cal waiver families specifically:
The bill will reduce the administrative barriers that have pushed providers away from serving dual-coverage clients, which has been a real access problem for families using Regional Center or other Medi-Cal waiver services alongside private insurance.
AB 1649 – Medi-Cal: Monthly Maintenance Amount
This bill increases personal spending allowances for individuals in long-term care. It could also impact young adults transitioning out of pediatric care into skilled nursing or long-term care facilities or children or adults in intermediate care facilities (ICFs), which serve some individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
AB 2486 – AB-2486 Medi-Cal: Whole Child Model program
California Children's Services (CCS) is a state program that provides medical care for children under 21 with serious conditions like cerebral palsy, heart disease, and cystic fibrosis. The Whole Child Model is an approach that coordinates all of a child's Medi-Cal health services through one managed care plan so that families aren't navigating multiple disconnected systems. A key part of this program is a statewide advisory group that includes families, doctors, health plans, and Regional Centers, which advises the state on how the program is working and what needs to improve. AB 2486 simply extends the life of that advisory group by three years — keeping family voices and provider expertise at the table through 2029 instead of letting it expire at the end of 2026.
These bills would mostly affect adults:
ACA 17 – Individuals with Disabilities: Direct Benefit Payments
This is a proposed amendment to the California Constitution that would make it significantly harder for the Legislature to cut cash benefits that people with disabilities depend on — including SSI/SSP supplements, cash assistance for legal immigrants with disabilities (CAPI), state disability insurance, and workers' compensation. If passed,, any reduction in those payments could only pass as an urgency statute, meaning it would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers. This would prevent benefit cuts from being quietly slipped into larger budget bills and would force any reduction to stand on its own and face public scrutiny. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both the Assembly and Senate to place it on the ballot and then a majority vote by California voters to ratify it at a statewide election.
AB 871 – Mandated Reporters: Financial Abuse of Dependent Adults
This bill requires mandated reporters to contact the FBI if they suspect financial abuse of a dependent adult.
SB 1221 – Lanterman-Petris-Short Act: Conservatorships
This bill updates conservatorship laws for individuals with significant mental health needs. The Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act authorizes the involuntary commitment and treatment of a person who, as a result of a mental health disorder, is a danger to themselves or others or is gravely disabled. This bill would require this definition of “gravely disabled” and “a substantial danger of physical harm” to be evaluated based upon a person’s ability outside of an incarcerated setting. The bill also allows the District Attorney to challenge changes to the conservatorship.
SB 1028 – Involuntary Commitment
This bill creates a formal advisory group to study when police should intervene in a mental health crisis, bringing together state agencies, county behavioral health departments, and law enforcement to examine how the 988 crisis line and 911 emergency response can work better together. The group will assess whether local police "non-response" policies are leaving people in crisis without help, and whether California needs statewide minimum standards to close those gaps. The workgroup will report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature in 2028, laying the groundwork for decisions that could significantly affect how Californians with mental health needs are treated.
Many of the Medi-Cal bills implement the necessary federal changes from HR 1 but do so in a way that protects California recipients as far as possible:
AB 2077 – Protect the Promise Act
This bill tightens Medi-Cal eligibility verification by requiring that income, residency, identity, and immigration status all be confirmed through official data sources rather than self-attestation, and it mandates that the state cross-check enrollment against federal databases including Social Security, the IRS, and the Department of Corrections on a regular basis. Non-elderly adults face eligibility redeterminations every six months instead of annually, with automatic renewals prohibited and corrective action required within 30 days when discrepancies are found. For people with disabilities — who often have complex financial situations involving trusts, ABLE accounts, Regional Center funding, or variable support payments — the combination of stricter verification and faster redetermination cycles creates a serious risk of wrongful disenrollment, even for people who are fully eligible, if they cannot respond quickly enough to documentation requests.
AB 2161 – Medi-Cal: Work or Community Engagement
This bill proposes redetermination every six months for Medi-Cal eligibility, excluding those excluded by federal law. This will not impact children or parents.
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