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By Julie Schurman, Esq., Director of Public Policy, The Arc & UCP California Collaboration
The 2026 legislative session has officially come to a close, and The Arc of California has a lot to celebrate.
Throughout the year, The Arc worked alongside people with disabilities, families, local chapters, service providers, advocates, and legislators to advance policies that strengthen disability rights, improve access to services, and make California systems work better for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Some of our biggest victories came from legislation we sponsored ourselves. Other bills we supported made it across the finish line and were signed into law. We also faced some disappointments, including important bills that were vetoed and one bill we opposed that was signed.
HERE IS WHERE SOME OF OUR BIGGEST PRIORITIES LANDED:
A Major Special Education Victory: $2.4 Million for Statewide Parent Advocacy
One of our biggest wins of the year came from AB 2189 (Nguyen), authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and sponsored by The Arc of California.
The idea behind AB 2189 was simple but important: families and students who experience California’s special education system every day should have a stronger voice in changing that system.
The proposal would create a statewide network bringing together parents, students with disabilities, former students, and advocates to share information, build advocacy skills, organize across communities, and advocate for systemic improvements in special education.
Although AB 2189 itself did not go forward we ultimately secured $2.4 million in the state budget to make its central vision a reality.
The three-year investment will be administered by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and will support the creation of a statewide Special Education Parent Action Network. The network is expected to begin taking shape in early 2027.
This victory was possible because hundreds of parents and advocates across California got involved. Families shared their experiences, organizations joined our coalition, and people with direct experience with special education helped explain why California needs a statewide voice for change.
That is advocacy in action.
Sponsored AB 1575 Signed Into Law: Changing the Language of the Lanterman Act
We are also celebrating the Governor’s signature on AB 1575 (Arambula), another bill sponsored by The Arc of California.
For decades, California’s Lanterman Act has used the word “consumer” to describe people with developmental disabilities who receive regional center services.
AB 1575 changes that.
The new law replaces “consumer” throughout the Lanterman Act with “person eligible for regional center services.” It also updates other outdated terminology and removes gendered language.
Words matter. People with IDD are people first. This legislation brings the language of California’s landmark developmental-disability civil rights law closer to the person-centered values that should guide the services and supports people receive.
More Disability Priorities Signed Into Law
Several other bills supported by The Arc also received the Governor’s signature.
AB 2233 (Ta) From now on, health plans and insurance companies generally cannot reduce or limit approved behavioral health treatment hours for people with autism, during a six-month treatment period. This new law helps protect access to the treatment people need.
AB 2414 (Nguyen) this new law strengthens recognition and support for California’s Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce. The new law formally defines “direct support professional” in state law and standardizes the use of that term. It also requires the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to develop billing guidance by April 1, 2027, so that providers can be compensated for required training.
DSPs provide essential support that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live more independently and participate fully in their communities. Their work can include employment and job coaching, transportation, support with daily activities and health needs, assistance accessing community resources, and helping people advocate for their rights and goals.
Clearly defining and recognizing DSPs in state law will also make it easier to collect consistent workforce data and develop policies to address California’s ongoing DSP workforce shortage. Just as importantly, ensuring there is a way to compensate DSPs for required training recognizes that training is part of the professional work necessary to provide high-quality, person-centered support.
AB 2324 (Gonzalez) is an important win for young people who help care for family members with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or other support needs. The new law will help California recognize the valuable skills youth caregivers already develop and explore ways to connect their caregiving experience with school credit, career training, and future jobs in caregiving and direct support professions. It also recognizes that young caregivers may need support themselves as they balance caregiving, school, and everyday life.
SB 974 (Seyarto) is an important win for families planning for the long-term needs of a loved one with a disability. The new law makes clear that a qualifying Special Needs Trust can be used to pass down a family home while still receiving Proposition 19 property tax protections. Special Needs Trusts can also help people with disabilities receive support from their families while protecting their eligibility for important public benefits. This change can help prevent a family home from facing higher property taxes simply because it is passed through a Special Needs Trust, giving families another tool to plan for the long-term stability and support of their loved one with a disability.
AB 280 (Aguiar-Curry) takes aim at a familiar health care problem: inaccurate provider directories. The new law requires the development of uniform standards and a centralized system for collecting, managing, and verifying provider-directory information. More reliable directories can make it easier for people with disabilities and other Californians to determine which health care providers are actually available through their coverage.
SB 1349 (Gonzalez) will take a closer look at some of California’s largest tax breaks, including tax breaks that benefit corporations, to determine whether they are actually achieving their intended goals. California gives up billions of dollars in revenue each year through tax breaks, but some have not been regularly reviewed to determine whether they are working. Under the new law, the Legislative Analyst’s Office will study several of the largest tax breaks and identify opportunities for the state to save money by reducing or limiting those that are not working effectively. Those savings could mean more state revenue available for important public priorities, including the services and supports Californians with disabilities rely on.
Two Important Bills Were Vetoed
Not every priority made it across the finish line.
The Arc supported AB 2081 (Stefani), which would have expanded access to California’s Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver. The waiver helps children, adults, and seniors with disabilities who need a high level of care receive that care at home and in their communities instead of in a hospital, nursing facility, or other institution. More than 6,000 Californians were on the waiting list at the end of 2025. AB 2081 would have expanded the waiver by 5,000 slots, helping more people with disabilities get the care they need at home, stay with their families, and remain part of their communities.
Governor Newsom vetoed the bill.
We were also disappointed by the veto of AB 2526 (Muratsuchi), an important special education funding proposal supported by The Arc.
California provides additional funding for students with certain low-incidence disabilities. AB 2526 would have created a framework, contingent on additional state funding, to extend targeted funding to students eligible to take California’s alternate assessments.
That distinction matters. Eligibility for an alternate assessment is determined through a student’s IEP and can help identify students who have particularly intensive support needs.
The bill offered a path toward a special education funding system that better recognizes the actual level of support a student requires. Although AB 2526 did not become law this year, the underlying problem remains: schools need adequate resources to provide the intensive services and supports required by students with significant support needs.
AB 2490 Signed Despite Our Opposition
The Governor also signed AB 2490 (Valencia), which The Arc opposed.
We recognize the very real teacher shortage facing California schools, including special education classrooms. Having the same substitute teacher for a longer period may provide students with more stability than having substitutes constantly change.
However, we did not believe AB 2490 provided the right solution.
The new law creates an alternative pathway to an Emergency Career Substitute Teaching Permit for people who do not meet the existing substitute teaching experience requirements. Instead, they can qualify through professional development, orientation training, and mentoring. A substitute who qualifies through this pathway may serve for up to 70 cumulative days in the same classroom, including a special education classroom.
This raised particular concerns for students with disabilities. Special education classrooms require educators who are prepared to understand and implement IEPs, accommodations, specialized instruction, and the individual needs of their students. The Arc was concerned about expanding long-term special education assignments to substitutes with significantly less classroom experience.
AB 2490 does include additional requirements intended to support these substitute teachers and provide oversight. However, we believe California should address its teacher shortage by investing in recruiting, preparing, and retaining qualified special education teachers while maintaining strong protections for students with disabilities.
Although AB 2490 is now law, The Arc will continue advocating for students with disabilities to have qualified, well-prepared educators in their classrooms.
Advocacy Gets Results
No legislative session ends with every bill going the way advocates hoped.
But 2026 demonstrated what organized disability advocacy can accomplish.
A proposal that began as our sponsored AB 2189 resulted in a $2.4 million state investment in statewide special education advocacy. Our sponsored AB 1575 was signed into law, modernizing the language of the Lanterman Act. And numerous bills we supported addressing health care, autism services, DSPs, young caregivers, caregiver succession planning, and state fiscal transparency are becoming California law.
Those victories belong to the people who made calls, sent letters, testified at hearings, told their stories, joined coalitions, met with lawmakers, and continued showing up throughout the legislative process.
The legislative session may be over, but the work is not. We will continue working with people with disabilities, families, advocates, providers, and policymakers to build on these victories and tackle the issues that remain unfinished in 2027.