California 20252026 Regular Session Status: Passed Assembly 1 D cosponsors

AB 347 — Pupil instruction: animal dissection.

Last action — In committee: Held under submission.

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

This bill has passed the Assembly. Introduced January 29, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 48% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Assembly

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 5 recorded votes so far.

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 a pupil with a moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying an animal to refrain from participation in an educational project that involves the harmful or destructive use of animals. Existing law authorizes, if the pupil chooses to refrain and a teacher believes that an adequate alternative education project is possible, the teacher to work with the pupil to develop and agree upon an alternative education project in order to obtain the knowledge, information, or experience required by the course of study in question. Existing law requires each teacher teaching a course that uses live or dead animals or animal parts to inform the pupils of their rights pursuant to these provisions. Existing law applies these provisions to all levels of instruction in all public schools operating programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish and implement a system of complaint processing, known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures, for specified educational programs. This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, if a pupil chooses to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals, would require a teacher to provide an alternative assignment or assessment. The bill would prohibit a pupil's grades from being impacted as a means of penalizing the pupil for exercising their rights concerning the dissection of animals. The bill would require a teacher to provide, at a pupil's request, any sourcing information provided by the vendor or provider of the animals and information about the chemicals used to preserve the animals for dissection to which the pupil may be exposed. The bill would require a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, to provide written notice of the pupils' rights that includes specified information, including, among other things, the above-described rights and the complaint procedures described below. The bill would require, by the start of the 2026–27 school year, the State Department of Education to develop a template that a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, would be authorized to use to provide this written notice and to make the template available on its internet website. The bill would apply the above-described provisions to all public schools operating programs in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, including, but not limited to, public schools operated by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, or state special schools, to the extent that the public school chooses to offer a course of study that uses live or dead animals or animal parts for purposes of dissection. The bill would encourage, by July 1, 2028, public schools to explore using effective alternative methods in lieu of using live or dead animals or animal parts for dissection in a course of study, except as provided. The bill would require, commencing July 1, 2026, the Uniform Complaint Procedures to apply to pupils' rights to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals and to choose an alternative assignment or assessment.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. In committee: Held under submission.

  2. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  3. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  4. Referred to Com. on ED.

  5. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  6. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 68. Noes 3. Page 1928.)

  7. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (May 23).

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

  10. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  11. Read second time and amended.

  12. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 12).

  13. Referred to Com. on ED.

  14. From printer. May be heard in committee March 1.

  15. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (1)

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, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 2000
Democratic 5000
Total 7000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Cabaldon, Christopher Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Pérez, Sasha Renée Democratic Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Yea
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Yea

Official roll call →

AB 347 Kalra Assembly Third Reading

Passed 68 Yea · 3 Nay · 8 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 56003
Republican 11305
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 68308
% of votes cast 86%4%0%10%
How each member voted (79)
Member Party Vote
Ávila Farías — Yea
Addis, Dawn Democratic Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Not Voting
Ahrens, Patrick Democratic Yea
Alvarez, David Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bains, Jasmeet Democratic Not Voting
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Bennett, Steve Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Caloza, Jessica Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Connolly, Damon Democratic Yea
Elhawary, Sade Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Garcia, Robert Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Haney, Matt Democratic Yea
Harabedian, John Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Not Voting
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Krell, Maggy Democratic Yea
Lee, Alex Democratic Yea
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
McKinnor, Tina Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea
Ortega, Liz Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Papan, Diane Democratic Yea
Patel, Darshana R. Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Ransom, Rhodesia Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rodriguez, Celeste Democratic Yea
Rodriguez, Michelle Democratic Yea
Rogers, Chris Democratic Yea
Rubio, Blanca E. Democratic Yea
Schiavo, Pilar Democratic Yea
Schultz, Nick Democratic Yea
Sharp-Collins, LaShae Democratic Yea
Solache, Jr., José Luis Democratic Yea
Soria, Esmeralda Democratic Yea
Stefani, Catherine Democratic Yea
Valencia, Avelino Democratic Yea
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Alanis, Juan Republican Yea
Castillo, Leticia Republican Not Voting
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea
DeMaio, Carl Republican Nay
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Ellis, Stan Republican Nay
Flora, Heath Republican Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Not Voting
Gonzalez, Jeff Republican Yea
Hadwick, Heather Republican Nay
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea
Macedo, Alexandra Republican Not Voting
Patterson, Joe Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Not Voting
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Not Voting
Wallis, Greg Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass.

Passed 13 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 11000
Republican 2002
Total 13002
% of votes cast 87%0%0%13%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Caloza, Jessica Democratic Yea
Elhawary, Sade Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Solache, Jr., José Luis Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Not Voting
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 6001
Republican 2000
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Addis, Dawn Democratic Yea
Alvarez, David Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Garcia, Robert Democratic Not Voting
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Patel, Darshana R. Democratic Yea
Castillo, Leticia Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

education
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 347 do?
Existing law authorizes a pupil with a moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying an animal to refrain from participation in an educational project that involves the harmful or destructive use of animals. Existing law authorizes, if the pupil chooses to refrain and a teacher believes that an adequate alternative education project is possible, the teacher to work with the pupil to develop and agree upon an alternative education project in order to obtain the knowledge, information, or experience required by the course of study in question. Existing law requires each teacher teaching a course that uses live or dead animals or animal parts to inform the pupils of their rights pursuant to these provisions. Existing law applies these provisions to all levels of instruction in all public schools operating programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish and implement a system of complaint processing, known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures, for specified educational programs. This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, if a pupil chooses to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals, would require a teacher to provide an alternative assignment or assessment. The bill would prohibit a pupil's grades from being impacted as a means of penalizing the pupil for exercising their rights concerning the dissection of animals. The bill would require a teacher to provide, at a pupil's request, any sourcing information provided by the vendor or provider of the animals and information about the chemicals used to preserve the animals for dissection to which the pupil may be exposed. The bill would require a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, to provide written notice of the pupils' rights that includes specified information, including, among other things, the above-described rights and the complaint procedures described below. The bill would require, by the start of the 2026–27 school year, the State Department of Education to develop a template that a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, would be authorized to use to provide this written notice and to make the template available on its internet website. The bill would apply the above-described provisions to all public schools operating programs in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, including, but not limited to, public schools operated by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, or state special schools, to the extent that the public school chooses to offer a course of study that uses live or dead animals or animal parts for purposes of dissection. The bill would encourage, by July 1, 2028, public schools to explore using effective alternative methods in lieu of using live or dead animals or animal parts for dissection in a course of study, except as provided. The bill would require, commencing July 1, 2026, the Uniform Complaint Procedures to apply to pupils' rights to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals and to choose an alternative assignment or assessment.
Who sponsors AB 347?
AB 347 is sponsored by Kalra, Ash (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 347?
This bill has passed the Assembly. Introduced January 29, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track AB 347?
Track AB 347 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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