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California bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California AB 1981

Subsidized childcare: reimbursement rates: reporting.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed House
  4. Passed Senate
  5. To Governor
  6. Became law

Sponsors

Cosponsors (7)

Summary

Official abstract published by the California legislature· summary

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, to implement a reimbursement system plan that establishes reasonable standards and assigned reimbursement rates for subsidized childcare and development services, and to develop and conduct an alternative methodology for ratesetting, as specified. Existing law requires the Governor and the Legislature to, by no later than July 1, 2025, establish reimbursement rates based on the alternative methodology, as specified. Existing law requires the department to provide quarterly updates from October 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027, inclusive, on the implementation of the new reimbursement rates set under the alternative methodology. If the new reimbursement rates do not take effect on July 1, 2025, existing law also requires the department to provide the Legislature with a timeline for transitioning from the rates that are in effect on July 1, 2025, to the new established rates. This bill would instead, under those circumstances, require the department to provide the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee with the department's anticipated timeline for the above-described rate transition. The bill would also require the quarterly reports described above to continue until July 1, 2028. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that the reimbursement rates established under the alternative methodology satisfy certain parameters, including, among others, that the rates vary based on geography, type of care setting, regulatory requirements applicable to each type of care setting, time categories, and child age. This bill would impose various requirements on the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, when establishing new reimbursement rates using a single-rate structure informed by the alternative methodology, to the extent those requirements are consistent with the approved Child Care and Development Fund state plan. Among other things, the bill would require the department to vary rates based on geographic regions and specific age groupings and to include in the rates an enhanced rate for nonstandard hours of care and enhanced inclusion rates for children with special needs. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions by means of all-county letters, childcare bulletins, or similar written instructions. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 10227.6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 190 or SB 190 to be operative only if this bill and AB 190 or SB 190 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Text versions

Roll-call votes

State vote data last updated Oct 14, 2026, 8:13 PM.

DateVoteResultYour legislators
Aug 31, 2026
House		AB 1981 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate AmendmentspassSet your home in California to see
Aug 30, 2026
Senate		3rd Reading AB1981 Aguiar-Curry et al. By Reyes Urgency ClausepassSet your home in California to see
Aug 13, 2026
Senate		Do passpassSet your home in California to see
Jun 29, 2026
Senate		Placed on suspense filepassSet your home in California to see
Jun 15, 2026
Senate		Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]passSet your home in California to see
Apr 23, 2026
House		AB 1981 Aguiar-Curry Consent Calendar Second DaypassSet your home in California to see
Apr 15, 2026
House		Do pass. To Consent Calendar.passSet your home in California to see
Mar 24, 2026
House		Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent CalendarpassSet your home in California to see

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