California 20252026 Regular Session Status: To Executive 1 R cosponsors

AB 2203 — Public postsecondary education: priority registration: veterans and dependents of veterans: federal GI Bill.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 730, Statutes of 2026.

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

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 19, 2026. It awaits signature.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 64% · moderate confidence

  • To Executive

    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 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 9 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill grants priority registration to certain veteran students in California's public universities and colleges.

This bill requires California State University and community colleges to give priority enrollment to students using GI Bill benefits or receiving specific fee waivers starting in the 2028-29 academic year. It mandates a local program and ensures reimbursement for associated costs.

What this means for you
  • Students: This means veterans and their dependents may have easier access to enroll in classes at California's public colleges.

Summary

Existing law establishes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The Donahoe Higher Education Act prohibits the campuses of those segments from charging mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to specified students who apply for a waiver, including a child of any veteran of the United States military who has a service-connected disability, has been killed in service, or has died of a service-connected disability, an undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Medal of Honor, or an undergraduate student who is a child of a recipient of a Medal of Honor and who is no more than 27 years of age, if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill would require the California State University and each community college district, and would request the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, commencing with the 2028–29 academic year, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to (1) a student who receives a fee waiver pursuant to the above-described provisions, and (2) a student who is using any federal GI Bill benefits. By requiring students to receive priority registration at community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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

What changed in the latest version

1 added · 1 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest update to Bill AB 2203, a line was added to clarify a specific point, while one line was removed to streamline the text. This change helps make the bill clearer and ensures that the important information stands out better for everyone involved. Clearer language in legislation can help avoid confusion and makes it easier for people to understand the law's intentions and implications.

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Latest
20250AB__220398ENR 98 INTRODUCED 2026-02-19 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2026-05-14 PASSED_SENATE 2026-08-20 ENROLLED 2026-08-24 2025 0 AB 2203 ENR Introduced by Assembly Member Tangipa LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa An act to add Section 66025.4 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.
20250AB__220397CHP 97 INTRODUCED 2026-02-19 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2026-05-14 PASSED_SENATE 2026-08-20 ENROLLED 2026-08-24 CHAPTERED 2026-09-28 APPROVED 2026-09-28 FILED 2026-09-28 2025 0 AB 2203 CHP 2026 CHP 0 730 Introduced by Assembly Member Tangipa LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa An act to add Section 66025.4 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.
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Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 730, Statutes of 2026.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

  4. In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

  5. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

  6. Ordered to special consent calendar.

  7. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

  8. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

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

  10. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  11. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 10). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.

  12. Referred to Coms. on ED. and M. & V.A.

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

  14. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 5055.)

  15. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  16. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 6).

  17. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  18. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.

  19. Referred to Coms. on HIGHER ED. and M. & V.A.

  20. From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  21. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

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

Special Consent AB2203 Tangipa By Grove

Passed 39 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 24001
Republican 9000
Unaffiliated 6000
Total 39001
% of votes cast 98%0%0%3%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Ochoa Bogh — Yea
Pérez — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Weber Pierson — Yea
Allen — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Arreguín, Jesse Democratic Yea
Ashby, Angelique V. Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Blakespear, Catherine S. Democratic Yea
Cabaldon, Christopher Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
McNerney, Jerry Democratic Yea
Menjivar, Caroline Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Not Voting
Richardson, Laura Democratic Yea
Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wahab, Aisha Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Alvarado-Gil, Marie Republican Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Niello, Roger W. Republican Yea
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Yea
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Military and Veterans Affairs] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 5000
Republican 2000
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
Menjivar, Caroline Democratic Yea
Pérez, Sasha Renée Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Yea
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Yea

Official roll call →

AB 2203 Tangipa Consent Calendar Second Day

Passed 77 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 57002
Republican 19001
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 77003
% of votes cast 96%0%0%4%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Ávila Farías — Yea
Addis, Dawn Democratic Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Ahrens, Patrick Democratic Yea
Alvarez, David Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Not Voting
Bains, Jasmeet Democratic Yea
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 Yea
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 Not Voting
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 Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea
DeMaio, Carl Republican Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Ellis, Stan Republican Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Not Voting
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Gonzalez, Jeff Republican Yea
Hadwick, Heather Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea
Johnson, Natasha Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea
Macedo, Alexandra Republican Yea
Patterson, Joe Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Yea
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Yea
Wallis, Greg Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

Passed 14 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 10001
Republican 4000
Total 14001
% of votes cast 93%0%0%7%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Not Voting
Caloza, Jessica Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Krell, Maggy Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Sharp-Collins, LaShae Democratic Yea
Solache, Jr., José Luis Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 5000
Unaffiliated 1000
Republican 2000
Total 8000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (8)
Member Party Vote
Ávila Farías — Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Schiavo, Pilar Democratic Yea
Valencia, Avelino Democratic Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea
Gonzalez, Jeff Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Military and Veterans Affairs] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

Passed 10 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 3000
Democratic 7000
Total 10000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Bennett, Steve Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
Patel, Darshana R. Democratic Yea
Sharp-Collins, LaShae Democratic Yea
DeMaio, Carl Republican Yea
Gonzalez, Jeff Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

veterans 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 2203 do?
Existing law establishes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The Donahoe Higher Education Act prohibits the campuses of those segments from charging mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to specified students who apply for a waiver, including a child of any veteran of the United States military who has a service-connected disability, has been killed in service, or has died of a service-connected disability, an undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Medal of Honor, or an undergraduate student who is a child of a recipient of a Medal of Honor and who is no more than 27 years of age, if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill would require the California State University and each community college district, and would request the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, commencing with the 2028–29 academic year, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to (1) a student who receives a fee waiver pursuant to the above-described provisions, and (2) a student who is using any federal GI Bill benefits. By requiring students to receive priority registration at community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 2203?
AB 2203 is sponsored by Tangipa, David J. (Republican).
What is the current status of AB 2203?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 19, 2026. It awaits signature.
Where can I track AB 2203?
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