republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20212022/ab-516.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Pupil attendance: excused absences: cultural ceremonies or events."
description: "Existing law, notwithstanding the requirement that each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not otherwise exempted is subject to compulsory full-time education, requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences, including, among others, if the absence was due to the pupil's illness."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20212022"
identifier: "AB 516"
citation: "California AB 516 (20212022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Pupil attendance: excused absences: cultural ceremonies or events."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Megan Dahle"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 28
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2021-02-10"
last_action: "2021-09-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ca591107-b5cd-4a58-aef9-bbe232a5bad3"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516"
source_hash: "06241ddf2afec50f38bd51b12fe125dbbc72d172d546bf53f0212cb5b824596b"
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 AB 516 (20212022) — Pupil attendance: excused absences: cultural ceremonies or events.

Existing law, notwithstanding the requirement that each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not otherwise exempted is subject to compulsory full-time education, requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences, including, among others, if the absence was due to the pupil's illness.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/10/21 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516&version=20210AB51699INT)
2. **06/22/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516&version=20210AB51698AMD)
3. **09/03/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516&version=20210AB51697AMD)
4. **09/24/21 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516&version=20210AB51695CHP)
5. **AB516** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516)
6. **09/15/21 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB516&version=20210AB51696ENR)

## Votes

- AB 516 Megan Dahle Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB516 Megan Dahle By Dahle Reconsider — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- 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
- AB 516 Megan Dahle Assembly Third Reading — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB516 Megan Dahle By Dahle — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading AB516 Megan Dahle By Dahle — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **16–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Megan Dahle — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-10** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2021-02-11** From printer. May be heard in committee March 13.
- **2021-02-18** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-26** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-14** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-20** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 20). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-24** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-05-27** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 1605.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-05-28** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2021-06-09** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-21** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 16). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2021-06-22** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-06-30** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2021-07-15** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2021-08-16** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-08-19** From Consent Calendar.
- **2021-08-19** Ordered to third reading.
- **2021-08-30** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2226.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-08-30** Motion to reconsider made by Senator Dahle.
- **2021-08-30** Reconsideration granted. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2233.)
- **2021-09-03** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-09-07** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-09-10** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2620.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-09-10** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- **2021-09-10** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 3156.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-09-22** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
- **2021-09-24** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2021-09-24** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 281, Statutes of 2021. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ca591107-b5cd-4a58-aef9-bbe232a5bad3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).