republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-438.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Pupils with exceptional needs: individualized education programs: postsecondary goals and transition services."
description: "Existing law requires local educational agencies to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those pupils with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with special education and related services as reflected in an individualized education program. Existing law requires, beginning not later than the first individualized education program to be in effect when a pupil is 16 years of age, or younger if determined appropriate by the individualized education program team, and updated annually thereafter, the individualized education program to include appropriate measurable postsecondary goals and transition services, as defined, needed to assist the pupil in reaching those goals."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 438"
citation: "California AB 438 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Pupils with exceptional needs", "individualized education programs", "postsecondary goals and transition services"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Blanca Rubio"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 33
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2023-02-06"
last_action: "2024-09-28"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c81c4591-0475-4d2b-8312-5f3a45d2ab2b"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438"
source_hash: "2070f0c019b0736b52ecaf15085586fa6a16db1c851837d8e9b564b8337415e4"
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 438 (20232024) — Pupils with exceptional needs: individualized education programs: postsecondary goals and transition services.

Existing law requires local educational agencies to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those pupils with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with special education and related services as reflected in an individualized education program. Existing law requires, beginning not later than the first individualized education program to be in effect when a pupil is 16 years of age, or younger if determined appropriate by the individualized education program team, and updated annually thereafter, the individualized education program to include appropriate measurable postsecondary goals and transition services, as defined, needed to assist the pupil in reaching those goals.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/06/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438&version=20230AB43899INT)
2. **03/05/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438&version=20230AB43897AMD)
3. **06/19/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438&version=20230AB43898AMD)
4. **09/28/24 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438&version=20230AB43895CHP)
5. **AB438** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438)
6. **08/28/24 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB438&version=20230AB43896ENR)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading AB438 Blanca Rubio et al. By Portantino — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading AB438 Blanca Rubio et al. By Portantino — **30–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 438 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **77–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 438 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB438 Blanca Rubio et al. By Portantino Motion To Reconsider — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Blanca Rubio — primary (person)
- Boerner — coauthor (person)
- Hoover — coauthor (person)
- Villapudua — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-06** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2023-02-07** From printer. May be heard in committee March 9.
- **2023-02-17** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-23** Coauthors revised.
- **2023-03-23** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-19** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-18** Coauthors revised.
- **2023-05-18** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 18). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-18** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-05-31** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 1979.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-06-01** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2023-06-14** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-19** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-07-05** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 5). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-08-14** In committee: Referred to APPR suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2023-09-01** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (September 1). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-05** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-08** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2023-09-11** From special consent calendar
- **2023-09-11** Ordered to third reading.
- **2023-09-12** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 30. Noes 0. Page 2624.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-12** Reconsideration granted. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2624.)
- **2023-09-12** Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Portantino.
- **2024-03-05** From inactive file.
- **2024-03-05** Ordered to second reading.
- **2024-03-05** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-03-06** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-08-19** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5199.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-08-20** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 22 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2024-08-26** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 6495.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-09-03** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.
- **2024-09-28** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2024-09-28** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 901, Statutes of 2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c81c4591-0475-4d2b-8312-5f3a45d2ab2b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).