republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-656.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "California State University: doctoral programs."
description: "Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law provides for the missions and functions of these segments, and states that the University of California has the sole authority in public higher education to award doctoral degrees in all fields of learning, except that it may agree with the California State University to award joint doctoral degrees in selected fields. However, existing law authorizes the California State University to offer doctoral programs in education, audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and public health without that agreement."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 656"
citation: "California AB 656 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["California State University", "doctoral programs"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["McCarty"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 27
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2023-02-09"
last_action: "2023-10-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/95d4e91c-c134-4173-99b5-f166c2881cbf"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656"
source_hash: "95f200d30ee6576855dbd3226d9b09c8ca3888a26e83e01a967c714fd5f2c437"
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 656 (20232024) — California State University: doctoral programs.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law provides for the missions and functions of these segments, and states that the University of California has the sole authority in public higher education to award doctoral degrees in all fields of learning, except that it may agree with the California State University to award joint doctoral degrees in selected fields. However, existing law authorizes the California State University to offer doctoral programs in education, audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and public health without that agreement.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/09/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656&version=20230AB65699INT)
2. **03/16/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656&version=20230AB65698AMD)
3. **07/13/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656&version=20230AB65697AMD)
4. **10/10/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656&version=20230AB65695CHP)
5. **AB656** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656)
6. **09/14/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB656&version=20230AB65696ENR)

## Votes

- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 656 McCarty Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 656 McCarty Assembly Third Reading — **79–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB656 McCarty et al. By Limón — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- McCarty — primary (person)
- Alvarez — coauthor (person)
- Cervantes — principal coauthor (person)
- Garcia — principal coauthor (person)
- Jackson — coauthor (person)
- Lackey — coauthor (person)
- Ortega — coauthor (person)
- Papan — coauthor (person)
- Quirk-Silva — coauthor (person)
- Ramos — coauthor (person)
- Ta — coauthor (person)
- Ward — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-09** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2023-02-10** From printer. May be heard in committee March 12.
- **2023-03-16** Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-16** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HIGHER ED. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-03-20** Re-referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-26** Coauthors revised.
- **2023-04-26** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-05-10** 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`
- **2023-06-01** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2124.) `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`
- **2023-07-05** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-07-13** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 12). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2023-07-13** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, 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`
- **2023-09-11** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2553.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-11** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 13 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2023-09-12** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 3228.)
- **2023-09-12** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3236.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-19** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2023-10-10** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-10-10** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 663, 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/95d4e91c-c134-4173-99b5-f166c2881cbf`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).