Assembly BillFailedEducation
AB 885: Public postsecondary education: College Access for All Fund.
What AB 885 does, verified February 3, 2026
The bill aims to create a debt-free college fund for the University of California and California State University. This fund will be established in the state treasury and its money will be available for appropriation to these universities. The funds will be used to lower the cost of undergraduate attendance by either reducing tuition or providing loan repayment programs, or a combination of both. The goal is to make higher education more affordable for students in California.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
2In CommitteeCurrent
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. (2026-02-02)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions12 total · showing 5
| Feb. 02, 2026 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May. 23, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 30, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 21, 2025 · 587 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 21, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 24, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 885
| Introduced by Assembly Member Solache |
February 19, 2025 |
An act to add Chapter 15.8 (commencing with Section 67394) to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 885, as amended, Solache. Public postsecondary education: Debt Free College at the UC and the CSU College Access for All Fund.
The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state.
This bill would establish the Debt Free College at the UC and the CSU College Access for All Fund in the State Treasury and would require all moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the University of California and the California State University for purposes of lowering the cost of undergraduate attendance, either through tuition reductions or loan repayment programs, or a combination of tuition reductions and loan repayment programs.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) According to Georgetown University, over the past 20 years a college degree has increasingly become a prerequisite to a well-paying, stable job.
(b) The Public Policy Institute of California found that on average, graduates of California’s public universities earn up to 62 percent more annually than a high school graduate.
(c) Over the past 50 years, tuition and fees at the University of California have nearly quadrupled, while at the California State University tuition and fees have jumped sixfold.
(d) The cost of attending the University of California has ballooned to over $45,000 annually, $14,934 of which accounts for tuition and fees. At the California State University, tuition and fees average nearly $8,000 annually.
(e) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, the high cost of tuition, coupled with California’s high cost of living, forces two-thirds of undergraduates at the University of California and the California State University to take on student debt.
(f) Nearly 4,000,000 Californians already owe over $142 billion in student debt, and this acts as a drag on the state’s economy.
(g) The lack of an educated workforce will deny the state the ability to draw upon the critical resources that are necessary to assist with the state’s current economic crisis and to support future economic growth.
(h) Current budget proposals will jeopardize the enrollment of students at the University of California and the California State University.
SEC. 2.
Chapter 15.8 (commencing with Section 67394) is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read: CHAPTER 15.8. Debt Free College at the UC and the CSU College Access for All Fund
67394.
(a) The(b) All moneys in the fund shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the University of California and the California State University for purposes of lowering the cost of undergraduate attendance, either through tuition reductions or loan repayment programs, or a combination of tuition reductions and loan repayment programs.
Text of AB 885 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions