Assembly BillIntroducedEducation
AB 2019: Community colleges: deported or detained faculty.
What AB 2019 does, verified May 16, 2026
<p>This bill requires community college districts to allow deported or detained faculty to perform their instruction and professional duties through distance education or other remote modalities. The faculty must have departed the US on or after January 1, 2027, due to immigration enforcement actions and were teaching for the district at the time of departure. The bill imposes new duties on community college districts, which would be considered a state-mandated local program. Reimbursement for costs associated with this bill would be made by the state if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains mandated costs.</p>
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions6 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 06, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 22, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 3.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Mar. 09, 2026 | Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. |
| Feb. 18, 2026 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 20. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 17, 2026 · 639 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2019
| Introduced by Assembly Member Gipson |
February 17, 2026 |
An act to add Section 87412 to the Education Code, relating to community colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2019, as introduced, Gipson. Community colleges: deported or detained faculty.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes them to provide instruction at the campuses they operate. Existing law requires the governing boards of community college districts, among other postsecondary educational entities, to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law, to implement various precautionary measures when federal immigration enforcement activities are undertaken on campuses of those entities, as specified.
This bill would require a community college district to allow its faculty who departed the United States on or after January 1, 2027, for a specified reason, including, among others, due to immigration enforcement actions by the Department of Homeland Security, and who was teaching for the community college district at the time of departure to perform their instruction and professional duties through distance education or other remote modalities offered by the community college district, as provided. By imposing new duties on 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.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 87412 is added to the Education Code, to read:87412.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:(1) “Deported or detained faculty member” means a faculty member who departed the United States on or after January 1, 2027, who was teaching in a California community college at the time of departure or detention, and their departure occurred for any of the following reasons:
(A) Due to immigration enforcement actions by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(B) Voluntarily due to the threat of immigration enforcement by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(C) Due to being denied reentry to the United States after voluntarily departing with the intention of making a brief trip abroad.
(2) “Remote teaching arrangement” means an arrangement that allows a deported or detained faculty member to perform, to the extent possible, their instruction and professional duties through distance education or other remote modalities offered by the community college district.
(b) A community college district shall allow a deported or detained faculty member of the community college district who meets subdivision (c) to perform, to the extent possible, their contracted instruction and professional duties through a remote teaching arrangement.
(c) A deported or detained faculty member shall provide an attestation verifying that their departure occurred for one of the reasons described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) to the human resources department of the community college district.
(d) This section shall apply in scenarios where the rule of law is suspended, and standard detention or deportation scenarios.
(e) This section shall be implemented to the greatest extent consistent with federal law.
SEC. 2.
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.Text of AB 2019 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions