We’re delighted to share that yesterday – June 26, 2019 – Assembly Bill 331 passed with a 4-0 vote out of the California State Senate Education Committee!
This means that AB 331 continues through our state’s legislative process in its journey to hopefully becoming California state law.
The next hurdle for AB 331 will be the State Senate’s Fiscal (Appropriations) Committee. Legislative bills that have a dollar amount tied to them, in which case AB 331 is estimated to cost ~4 million to implement, all need to clear the Fiscal Committee.
Our organization will continue to engage with our partners and statewide networks to bring updates to our members, students, and families. We thank everyone for the ardent support and enthusiasm being brought to our shared advocacy efforts.
Should AB 331 pass, California will be leading the way in ensuring that our diverse state of 40 million equally celebrates and recognizes the historic contributions of minority communities that built and shaped our shared culture, society, and successes.
About AB 331: Authored by Assemblyman Jose Medina, a lifelong educator and former Ethnic Studies teacher in K-12 education, AB 331 would mandate Ethnic Studies as a California public high school graduation requirement in the 2024-25 academic year. Students could fulfill this requirement via Social Studies, English, and Art classes, where shared learning on the histories of multicultural and multiethnic communities would be celebrated and understood.
