AB 2551 — Equity in Higher Education Act: time, place, and manner policies: student code of conduct violations: open forum.

Summary

A portion of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, known as the Equity in Higher Education Act, provides, among other things, that all students have the right to participate fully in the educational process, free from discrimination and harassment, and that postsecondary educational institutions have an affirmative obligation to combat discrimination on the basis of, among other things, disability, gender, race, or ethnicity, and a responsibility to provide equal educational opportunity. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make the provision applicable. The Equity in Higher Education Act requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Regents of the University of California to have the primary responsibility to prevent and address conduct that either creates a hostile environment for students on campus or results in differential treatment of students on campus, as specified. The act requires the trustees to, among other things, adopt rules and procedures in the student codes of conduct to prohibit violent, harassing, intimidating, or discriminatory conduct that creates a hostile environment on campus, to prohibit conduct that limits or denies a person's ability to participate in or benefit from the free exchange of ideas or the educational mission of the California State University, and to establish, and require each campus to publish on the campus internet website, reasonable content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions and, if applicable, any advance permitting requirements for protests on campus. The act requires the trustees to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 2 of each year, on the implementation and administration of these provisions, including information on student code of conduct violations. The act requests the University of California to comply with these provisions. This bill would require the above-described report to also include information on student code of conduct violations that occurred during, or as a result of, a protest on campus and a description of the discipline imposed on the student as a result of the specified student code of conduct violation. This bill would require the California State University, and request the University of California, to (1) hold an open forum on a selected campus on or before December 31, 2027, to elicit feedback regarding established content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions, as provided, and (2) notify the relevant policy committees of the Legislature of the location and date of the open forum. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2028.

Bill Text

• Enrolled 09/04/26 - Enrolled html September 04, 2026
• Amended 07/02/26 - Amended Senate Current pdf July 02, 2026
• Amended 06/11/26 - Amended Senate pdf June 11, 2026
• Amended 03/19/26 - Amended Assembly pdf March 19, 2026
• Introduced 02/20/26 - Introduced pdf February 20, 2026
• AB2551 View text html

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the California codes: Section 66270.7 of the Education Code.

• Section 66270.7 of the Education Code

  section (e)Each California State University campus shall establish a committee and require the committee to hold at least two student hearings before January 1, 2029, to elicit feedback regarding content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions established pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), including how students feel about the restrictions and the way the restrictions are being enforced.(f) (c), including demographic data about those students. (g) (h) (i) (j)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed. → section, (e) (A) (c). (B) A report submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall include information on student code of conduct violations that occurred during, or as a result of, a protest on campus and a description of the discipline imposed on the student as a result of the specified student code of conduct violation. The student data shall be disaggregated by race and gender. (f) (g) (h) SEC. 2. Section 66270.8 is added to the Education Code, to read: 66270.8. (a) The California State University shall, and the University of California is requested to, do both of the following:(1) Hold an open forum on a selected campus on or before December 31, 2027, to elicit student feedback regarding content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions established pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 66270.7, including how students feel about the restrictions and the way the restrictions are being enforced.(2) Notify the relevant policy committees of the Legislature of the location and date of the open forum held pursuant to paragraph (1).(b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.

  amended

Action History

1. September 15, 2026

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

2. August 31, 2026

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 44. Noes 8.).

3. August 30, 2026

   From committee: That the Senate amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (August 30).

4. August 30, 2026

   Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended.

5. August 30, 2026

   Re-referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2.

6. August 28, 2026

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

7. August 28, 2026

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 22. Noes 12.).

8. August 13, 2026

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

9. August 13, 2026

   From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 13).

10. August 03, 2026

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

11. July 02, 2026

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

12. July 02, 2026

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (July 1).

13. June 15, 2026

    Re-referred to Com. on ED.

14. June 12, 2026

    Withdrawn from committee.

15. June 12, 2026

    Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

16. June 12, 2026

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

17. June 11, 2026

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

18. June 10, 2026

    Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and B. P. & E.D.

19. May 27, 2026

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

20. May 26, 2026

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0.)

21. May 18, 2026

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

22. May 14, 2026

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

23. April 22, 2026

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

24. April 08, 2026

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

25. March 23, 2026

    Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

26. March 19, 2026

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

27. March 19, 2026

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

28. February 21, 2026

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

29. February 20, 2026

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Sade Elhawary · Primary

Votes

Subjects