AB 1171: Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program.
The bill aims to revise the part-time community college faculty health insurance program. It would make part-time faculty members who individually purchase health insurance benefits eligible to participate in the program, and require community college districts to reimburse them for their health insurance benefits. The program would also be expanded to cover multidistrict part-time faculty and their dependents. Additionally, the bill would provide annual funding of $200 million to augment funds for part-time faculty health insurance. The program's costs would be reimbursed by the state if the commission on state mandates determines that they are mandated by the state.
| Aug. 13, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| Jun. 22, 2026 | In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Jun. 10, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 10). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jun. 01, 2026 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED. |
| May. 06, 2026 | Referred to Com. on ED. |
| Amended IN Senate June 01, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly January 15, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly January 05, 2026 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Patel |
February 21, 2025 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
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.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 87867 of the Education Code is amended to read:87867.
(a) By June 15 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall apportion to each community college district that establishes a program pursuant to this article an amount that equals up to one-half of the total cost of the individual premiums required to be paid for the health insurance coverage of participating part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents in the district.SEC. 2.
Section 87867.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:87867.5.
The Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. Pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 87867, funds remaining after all apportionments pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 87867 have been made shall be deposited into the fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys in the fund shall be continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, to the chancellor for purposes of making the apportionments in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 87867 until reappropriated or reverted by the Legislature through the annual Budget Act or any other act.SEC. 3.
Section 87869 is added to the Education Code, to read:87869.
It is the intent of the Legislature that, by January 1, 2030, each community college district commence negotiations with the exclusive representatives for part-time community college faculty to offer health insurance benefits to part-time and multidistrict part-time community college faculty and their eligible dependents.It is the intent of the Legislature that part-time and multidistrict part-time community college faculty and their eligible dependents have continuous access to health insurance benefits.
The Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program is hereby established for the purpose of providing state-mandated and state-funded health insurance benefits for part-time faculty and multidistrict part-time community college faculty.
For purposes of this article:
(a)“Health insurance benefits” include medical benefits but do not include vision or dental benefits.
(b)“Multidistrict part-time faculty” refers to any faculty member whose total teaching assignments at two or more community college districts equals or exceeds 40 percent of the cumulative equivalent of a minimum full-time teaching assignment. “Multidistrict part-time faculty” does not include “part-time faculty” as defined in subdivision (c).
(c)“Part-time faculty” refers to any faculty member whose teaching assignment equals or exceeds 40 percent of the cumulative equivalent of a minimum full-time teaching assignment.
(d)“Program” means the Part-time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program established pursuant to this article.
(a)A part-time faculty member and their eligible dependents are eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
(b)A multidistrict part-time faculty member and their eligible dependents are eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
A part-time faculty member, multidistrict part-time faculty member, or their dependents whose premiums for health insurance are paid by an employer other than a community college district are not eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
(a)A part-time faculty member who individually purchases health insurance benefits is eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
(b)A community college district shall reimburse a part-time faculty member for health insurance benefits purchased by the part-time faculty member. The reimbursement rate shall be 50 percent of the health insurance premium paid by the part-time faculty member, up to the full cost of the district’s most commonly subscribed family coverage plan.
(c)A community college district may require reasonable documentation from a part-time faculty member to determine the district’s reimbursement rate share, as described in subdivision (b), which may include, but is not limited to, documentation verifying enrollment in a health insurance plan and the premium paid for the health insurance plan.
The governing board of each community college district shall, by June 1 of each year, send verification to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges of the number of participants in the program.
(a)By June 15 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall apportion to each community college district an amount that equals the total cost of the reimbursements for part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents as determined by Sections 87864 and 87865.
(b)The chancellor shall distribute funds that have been appropriated specifically for this purpose, and pursuant to subdivision (a), proportionally based on each community college district’s total costs for reimbursements for those districts that submit verification of the costs of reimbursements for eligible employees for a fiscal year, but in no event shall the allocation to any district exceed the full cost of the verified reimbursements.
(c)If funds appropriated for this purpose remain after all apportionments for subdivision (a) have been made, the balance that exceeds that amount shall revert to the General Fund annually.
The sum of two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) shall be annually appropriated, on or before June 30 of each fiscal year, from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for purposes of augmenting Schedule (12) of Item 6870-101-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act for each fiscal year.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.