republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-446.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Pupil instruction: handwriting."
description: "(1) Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including, among others, English, mathematics, social sciences, science, and visual and performing arts, as specified. With respect to the study of English, existing law requires that instruction to include knowledge of, and appreciation for, literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 446"
citation: "California AB 446 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Pupil instruction", "handwriting"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Quirk-Silva"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 29
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2023-02-06"
last_action: "2023-10-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2701c7c2-0084-42fa-97e9-f68f89ec00da"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446"
source_hash: "725b1f9b0cbfdad5a7f4006e5d03c5ebbaad2d808ada0642ad5b40da7f41a4d4"
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 446 (20232024) — Pupil instruction: handwriting.

(1) Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including, among others, English, mathematics, social sciences, science, and visual and performing arts, as specified. With respect to the study of English, existing law requires that instruction to include knowledge of, and appreciation for, literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.

## 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=202320240AB446&version=20230AB44699INT)
2. **03/13/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446&version=20230AB44698AMD)
3. **09/07/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446&version=20230AB44697AMD)
4. **10/13/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446&version=20230AB44695CHP)
5. **AB446** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446)
6. **09/18/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB446&version=20230AB44696ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 446 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading — **79–1** (pass) · lower
- Consent Calendar AB446 Quirk-Silva — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **6–1** (pass) · lower
- AB 446 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **79–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB446 Quirk-Silva By Newman — **38–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Quirk-Silva — primary (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`
- **2023-03-13** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-03-14** Re-referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-23** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (March 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-19** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 19). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-20** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-04-27** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 1. Page 1359.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-04-27** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2023-05-10** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-07** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-06-26** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2023-06-27** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-06-29** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1827.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-06-29** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2023-06-29** Withdrawn from Engrossing and Enrolling.
- **2023-06-29** Ordered to the Senate.
- **2023-07-03** In Senate. Held at Desk.
- **2023-09-07** Action rescinded whereby the bill was read third time, passed, and to Assembly. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-09-07** Ordered to third reading.
- **2023-09-07** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-11** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-12** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2636.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-12** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- **2023-09-13** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3349.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-20** 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 804, 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/2701c7c2-0084-42fa-97e9-f68f89ec00da`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).