---
type: "Bill"
title: "Community colleges: Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) programs."
description: "Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "SB 444"
citation: "California SB 444 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Community colleges", "Mathematics", "Engineering", "Science", "Achievement (MESA) programs"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Newman"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 29
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2023-02-13"
last_action: "2023-10-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8fd02989-b268-4fab-84ff-9dc9318140ae"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444"
source_hash: "f31b36fd7e0d78caa2eedf024320d666c4e3a381642c48725e0797e516876f80"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 444 (20232024) — Community colleges: Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) programs.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/13/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44499INT)
2. **03/16/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44498AMD)
3. **03/23/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44497AMD)
4. **06/29/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44496AMD)
5. **09/01/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44495AMD)
6. **10/13/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44493CHP)
7. **SB444** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444)
8. **09/18/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB444&version=20230SB44494ENR)

## Votes

- Unfinished Business SB444 Newman Concurrence — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 444 Newman Senate Third Reading By Arambula — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended. — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Special Consent — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **11–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Newman — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-13** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-02-14** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 16.
- **2023-02-22** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-02** Set for hearing March 22.
- **2023-03-16** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-22** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 450.) (March 22). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-23** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-28** Set for hearing April 10.
- **2023-04-10** April 10 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
- **2023-05-12** Set for hearing May 18.
- **2023-05-18** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 1171.) (May 18). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-18** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-05-23** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2023-05-25** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 1299.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-05-25** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2023-06-08** Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-28** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 27). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-06-29** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-08-16** August 16 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-08-23** August 23 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
- **2023-09-01** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (September 1). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-01** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-05** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-13** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3429.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-13** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2023-09-14** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2843.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-21** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2023-10-13** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-10-13** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 872, Statutes of 2023. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8fd02989-b268-4fab-84ff-9dc9318140ae`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).