California 20252026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

AB 68 — School safety: armed school resource officers.

Last action — From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a).

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced December 05, 2024. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Assembly.

Prognosis

Stalled 2% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Failed a recorded vote

    Failed 1 recorded vote so far — a real headwind.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a security department under the supervision of a chief of security as designated by, and under the direction of, the superintendent of the school district. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a school police department under the supervision of a school chief of police and to employ peace officers. This bill would require, commencing with the 2028–29 school year, and each school year thereafter, a rural school district or charter school, as defined, to determine the appropriate number of armed school resource officers, as defined, authorized to carry a loaded firearm for each school of the rural school district or charter school. The bill would require the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school to ensure that at least one armed school resource officer is present during regular school hours at each school of the rural school district or charter school that meets specified criteria, as provided. By imposing an additional requirement on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the governing board or body, if it is unable to comply with these requirements due to the unavailability of funding or personnel who qualify to serve as an armed school resource officer, to claim a good cause exception to these requirements by adopting a resolution, as provided. 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a).

  2. In committee: Set, final hearing. Failed passage.

  3. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  4. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.

  5. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  6. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.

  7. In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  8. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  9. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.

  10. In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  11. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  12. Referred to Coms. on ED. and PUB. S.

  13. Read first time.

  14. From printer. May be heard in committee January 5.

  15. Introduced. To print.

Sponsors

  • Essayli · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 5 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • Essayli

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety]

Failed 2 Yea · 5 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 2000
Democratic 0502
Total 2502
% of votes cast 22%56%0%22%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Bonta, Mia Democratic Nay
Garcia, Robert Democratic Nay
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Not Voting
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Nay
Ortega, Liz Democratic Nay
Patel, Darshana R. Democratic Nay
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Not Voting
Castillo, Leticia Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 68 do?
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a security department under the supervision of a chief of security as designated by, and under the direction of, the superintendent of the school district. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a school police department under the supervision of a school chief of police and to employ peace officers. This bill would require, commencing with the 2028–29 school year, and each school year thereafter, a rural school district or charter school, as defined, to determine the appropriate number of armed school resource officers, as defined, authorized to carry a loaded firearm for each school of the rural school district or charter school. The bill would require the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school to ensure that at least one armed school resource officer is present during regular school hours at each school of the rural school district or charter school that meets specified criteria, as provided. By imposing an additional requirement on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the governing board or body, if it is unable to comply with these requirements due to the unavailability of funding or personnel who qualify to serve as an armed school resource officer, to claim a good cause exception to these requirements by adopting a resolution, as provided. 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 AB 68?
AB 68 is sponsored by Essayli.
What is the current status of AB 68?
This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced December 05, 2024. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track AB 68?
Track AB 68 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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