California State Updates and Proposed Bills in January 2026

Governor Newsom announced his 2026-27 budget proposal on January 9, 2026. This is a proposal only - a starting point - so that the proposal can be discussed before being finalized at the end of June 2026.

The next few months provide opportunity for citizens and organizations to react and provide feedback on the proposals. Expect information from disability organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies such as school districts, the SCDD, and county offices, plus unions and professional organizations like CASBO, on the impact of the budget proposal on individuals with disabilities and their families.

Here are the highlights for families to know:

• There are no significant cuts planned to Regional Center, IHSS, or education. There is actually a modest increase in special education spending.
• The budget will be revised in May based on whether the state receives expected revenue.

You can learn more about how the proposed budget will impact our families from our conversation with Christofer Arroyo, Deputy Director of Policy and Public Affairs for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Remember: current budget discussions are proposals only. They will only take effect if the Assembly and Senate vote on them and the Governor signs them. Then, there is usually a delay of six months to a year before legislation comes into effect.

You have time to express your disagreement. Tell your story and how it affects your child and your family. Work with disability organizations to protest cuts. Contact your state representatives. You can find their contact information here.

Of the 11 new laws that will impact California schools in 2026, none are for special education directly but could still affect families. One law that removes punishment for parents of children who are chronically truant could be beneficial for families dealing with school refusal. In addition, as more schools implement smartphone bans under the Phone-Free School Act, parents may need to discuss this policy with their school teams. For example, what will happen if a school bans phones, but a student has an accommodation to take photos of the board and other visual reminders on their phone?

There are two proposals announced from the California Department of Education:

Extended School Year (ESY)

Currently, schools are required to provide 20 days of ESY, but many request a waiver to provide 15. There are no fixed instructional hours required. The CDE proposes having requirements for instructional hours per grade band but limit it to 15 days. The question is: is that really 13 days if they have June 19 and July 4 off? Is this making it more flexible in a way that is more likely to make ESY useful to families? Can two weeks really help kids avoid regression, which is the purpose of ESY under IDEA?

There is a virtual public hearing at 9:00 a.m. on January 27, 2026. Attendees may participate in the public hearing via Zoom:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84587001075
• To connect with audio only and no video, call one of the following numbers and enter the meeting ID and password:
  • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
  • +1 213 338 8477 US (Los Angeles)
  • Meeting ID: 845 8700 1075
  • Passcode: 672070

Early Start Eligibility

The California State Board of Education (SBE) is prosposing changes to the way that SELPAs and Regional Centers determine eligibility for Early Start, which will prevent discrepancies between the two Part C systems. The new proposal will not require students to fall into a Part B eligibility category but will enable Part C IPP teams to use developmental delay (25%) and at-risk categories.

The CDE staff, on behalf of the SBE, will hold a virtual public hearing at 9:00 a.m. on January 20, 2026. Attendees may participate in the public hearing via Zoom:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89551734411
• To connect with audio only and no video, call one of the following telephone numbers and enter the meeting ID and password:
  • +1 213 338 8477 US (Los Angeles)
  • +1 669 219 2599 US (San Jose)
  • Meeting ID: 895 5173 4411
  • Passcode: 501129

On December 22, 2025, the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) announced a change to their services, which occurs when their funding cannot serve all recipients – basically a waitlist for services. The order of selection prioritizes individuals with the most extensive support needs, so families with children with lower support needs may not be able to rely on DOR funding for job-related or training expenses such as college tuition. This has previously been in place as recently as 2021.

Sonya Fox from the Department of Developmental Services told Undivided, “Individuals with existing services through DOR will continue as approved. New applicants for DOR services will be subject to Order of Selection. DDS is working closely with DOR and will update the community once we have more information.”

According to DDS, “On January 1, 2025, DDS began a new service, Regional Center-funded Job Development, which is available while pending DOR eligibility. Some services are unique to DOR and access may be limited. However, individuals can reach out to the Regional Center regarding supported employment services or any alternate services that could be available.”

In other words, if your child is currently a Regional Center client and gets put on the DOR waitlist, talk to your service coordinator about where Regional Center can fill in the gaps in services.

The passage of a new piece of legislation from an idea to a law through our state legislature is a complex process. Some bills don’t make it the year they are introduced but continue on into the second year. There are several bills left over that were introduced in 2025 and have a strong chance of being passed into law in 2026.

Failing bills can be saved

There are quite a few bills that are likely to “die” if they do not pass through the originating house, i.e. the Senate or Assembly depending on where they were introduced, by January 31, 2026.

To save these bills, you should send an email or call your representative – the Assembly member for bills beginning AB and the State Senator for bills starting SB. Find Your California Representatives here. You can leave a message such as “AB 283 will make a difference for our family - please try to move it through the Assembly/Senate.” You can also contact the author of the bill and thank them for bringing it.

Some failing bills you might care about:

AB 375 (Assemblymember Nguyen): AB 375 could help more kids with autism get services they need, especially through telehealth.

• Right now, California law says that only certain autism specialists count as health care providers for therapy coverage under health plans. AB 375 would add a new group to that definition called “qualified autism service paraprofessionals.”
• A qualified autism service paraprofessional is someone who is unlicensed but trained and works under supervision of a higher-level autism clinician to deliver autism support services — think of people who work directly with children on behavior and skills but aren’t doctors or board-certified providers themselves. They still meet specific education and training standards and follow a treatment plan approved by a qualified provider.
• AB 375 would let these paraprofessionals be counted as “health care providers,” which means health plans would have to cover their services, including telehealth, just like other autism-support clinicians. That could make it easier and cheaper for families to access therapy, especially if you live far from big cities or can’t get to appointments easily.
• This bill is still in the Assembly and needs to be voted on in a committee and in the house to become a two-year bill .

AB 315 (Assemblymember Mia Bonta): AB 315 could mean fewer waiting lists, faster access to care, and more reliable support for individuals with disabilities.

• Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Medi-Cal waivers help kids and adults with physical disabilities get care at home and in the community. Right now in California, there are huge waiting lists for these waivers. That means families are told their child qualifies for support, but then they have to wait, sometimes for years, before getting services like personal care, respite, case management, or in-home support.
• AB 315 says that if someone qualifies for HCBA services, they shouldn’t get stuck on a waiting list — they should get enrolled right away. It also asks the state to plan so that there are enough slots and providers available, instead of leaving families hanging.
• This bill is still in the Assembly and needs to be voted on in a committee and in the house to become a two-year bill. No hearings are scheduled in the Committee on Appropriations.

AB 517: This bill seeks to increase medical coverage for wheelchairs, which would result in faster repairs and fewer months without mobility.

• Families who have custom wheelchairs know the stress of a part breaking because repairs to make the chair functional again could take months. Right now, even small repairs often require prior authorization, which is what causes those long, painful delays. Wheelchair users may wait for months of missed school, missed outings, and missed independence — all because of paperwork.
• AB 517 focuses on wheelchair repairs for people on Medi-Cal, especially those using complex, medically customized chairs. AB 517 would allow repairs that cost $1,250 or less to be done without waiting for prior approval. The repair company can fix the chair right away and document it, and Medi-Cal reviews it later.
• This bill is still in the Assembly and needs to be voted on in a committee and in the house to become a two-year bill.

AB 984 (Nguyen D): This bill would allow families to claim a personal tax deduction for the amount they contributed to a CalABLE account.

• This bill is still in the Assembly and needs to be voted on in a committee and in the house to become a two-year bill.

Two-year bills in their second house

The bills with the strongest chance to pass are those that have already passed their originating house. For example, AB 283 (introduced by Matt Haney) allows for statewide collective bargaining for IHSS workers. The bill passed the Assembly on May 29, 2025 and is ready for a “third reading” in the Senate.

Another important bill is AB308 (introduced by ASM Ramos) to reform how mobile crisis teams respond when someone’s having a crisis, including kids and adults with developmental disabilities like autism.

• Right now, crisis responders sometimes don’t have training that fits the needs of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and that can make tough moments even harder.
• AB 308 says counties can create procedures and training so that teams use de-escalation techniques and respond in ways that keep individuals with disabilities safer and more comfortable. For families, this means more understanding crisis help, not just standard police-style responses, so calling for help doesn’t have to feel scary.
• The bill is supported by Autism Society Inland Empire (Sponsor), Autism Business Association, Autism Heroes, Autism Speaks, California Indian Nations College, California State Association of Psychiatrists (CSAP), California State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Easterseals Northern California.
• On May 8, 2025, the bill passed the Assembly; it needs to pass the Senate, so please contact your State Senator and ask them to support it. The first committee hearing is January 12, 2026.

AB 346 (Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen): This bill targets a specific part of In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) known as paramedical services, which includes medication administration, wound care, injections, g-tube care, and other skilled tasks that an IHSS provider can do only if a health professional signs off first. If the bill passes, it could mean fewer hoops and fewer delays getting paramedical support approved when it’s needed at home..

• Right now, only a small group of providers — basically physicians — can complete the paramedical order form required by IHSS before those hours are authorized. That can cause delays and extra appointments.
• AB 346 would change that by broadening the definition of “licensed health care professional” so that the same broader list of professionals who can sign your regular IHSS certification form can also sign the paramedical forms. That includes advanced practice providers and licensed clinicians such as a physician or surgeon, physician assistant, podiatrist, dentist, or nurse practitioner, whose scope includes diagnosing or treating the conditions that cause your care needs.

• On Jun 03, 2025, the bill passed the Assembly. It needs to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Reach out to your representatives, especially if one of these committee members is your senator.

  AB 1208 (Addis D): The California Developmental Disability Services Quality, Performance, and Outcomes Act of 2025 was passed by the Assembly. The bill would require DDS to review, assess, and map all established and currently pending Regional Center and vendored service provider quality, performance, and outcome measures and surveys that are used within the California developmental services system by July 1, 2026.

• The Master Plan for Developmental Services is California’s roadmap for fixing a system that families know is inconsistent, inequitable, and too dependent on individual advocacy. Grounded in equity and lived experience, it lays out a vision where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have real choice, autonomy, and access to high-quality supports—no matter their race, language, disability, or Regional Center.
• AB 1208 is a critical next step in making that vision real because it moves the system from promises to proof. By requiring DDS to align, evaluate, and standardize how quality, performance, and outcomes are measured across Regional Centers and vendors, the bill creates transparency and accountability where there is currently fragmentation. It ensures that outcomes can be tracked over time, disparities can be identified, and poor performance addressed. For families, this means a system that is easier to navigate, harder to ignore, and better equipped to deliver on what the Master Plan already says people deserve.
• On June 2, 2025, it passed the Assembly. It needs to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Reach out to your representatives, especially if one of these committee members is your senator.

AB 1220 (Arambula D): This bill would add “disagreement and denials of services related to each consumer’s individual program plan” to the information required in the annual report compiled by DDS and Regional Centers.

• It would also require Regional Centers to document in each consumer’s IPP all of the consumer’s denials of services, notices of actions, and appeals.
• On May 19, 2025, it passed the Assembly. It needs to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee and one more reading on the Senate floor.

AB 1328 (Rodriguez, Michelle D): This bill would make it easier for families to be reimbursed for non-emergency medical transportation services under Medi-Cal.

• Non-emergency medical transportation services include transportation by ambulance, litter van, wheelchair van, or air to get to and from covered Medi-Cal services. These are subject to prior written authorization by a licensed practitioner.
• This law would fund, in whole or in part, the reimbursement rates for Medi-Cal non-emergency ambulance transportation services at 80% of the federal Medicare ambulance fee schedule.
• A physician or a nonphysician may complete that certification as per federal authorization. Medical transportation providers may document mileage by various methods.
• On June 2, 2025, it was passed by the Assembly. It needs to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee and one more reading on the Senate floor.

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