AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 15, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 5, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
96
Introduced by Assembly Member Patel
February 21, 2025
An act to amend Sections 87860, 87860.5, 87861, 87866, and Section 87867 of, to amend and renumber Section 87863 of, to amend, renumber, and add Section 87864 of, to repeal Section 87862 of, and to repeal and to add Section 87868 of, Sections 87867.5 and 87869 to, the Education Code, relating to community colleges, and
making an appropriation therefor.
Vote: majority Appropriation: yes Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate. Existing law establishes the Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program Program, which authorizes
the governing board of a community college district to provide a program of health insurance for part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents. Under existing law, a
multidistrict part-time faculty member who individually purchases health insurance benefits is eligible to participate in the program, and existing law requires a community college district to reimburse a multidistrict part-time faculty member for the district’s proportionate share of the total health insurance premium paid by the multidistrict part-time faculty member, as provided. Existing law requires the chancellor, by June 15 of each year, to apportion to each community college that establishes a program an amount that equals up to one-half½ of the total cost of the individual premiums required to be paid for the health insurance coverage of participating part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty,
and their dependents, and to apportion any remaining funds to each community college district that establishes a program and meets certain criteria, up to the total cost of the individual premiums required to be paid for the health insurance coverage of the participants, as provided. If funds appropriated for purposes of the program remain after those apportionments, existing law requires that the balance revert to the General Fund annually, as specified.
This bill would revise and recast the Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program to, among other things, additionally make a part-time faculty member who individually purchases health insurance benefits
eligible to participate in the program and require a community college district to reimburse a part-time faculty member for health insurance benefits purchased by the part-time faculty member, as specified. The bill would require the chancellor, on or before June 15 of each year, to apportion to each community college district an amount that equals the total cost of the reimbursements for part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents, as provided. By imposing additional duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. instead require that the balance be deposited into the Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program Fund, which the bill would create. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund to the chancellor for purposes of the above-described apportionments, as specified.
This bill would annually appropriate $200,000,000, on or before June 30 of each fiscal year, from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for purposes of augmenting funds appropriated for part-time faculty health insurance.
state the intent of the Legislature that, by January 1, 2030, each community college district commence negotiations with the exclusive representatives for part-time community college faculty to offer health insurance benefits to part-time and multidistrict part-time community college faculty and their eligible dependents.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 87867 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87867.
(a) By June 15 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall apportion to each community college district that establishes a program pursuant to this article an amount that equals up to one-half of the total cost of the individual premiums required to be paid for the health insurance coverage of participating part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents in the district.
(b) By June 15 of each year, the chancellor shall apportion any remaining funds appropriated for this program to each community college district that establishes a program pursuant to this article and meets all of the following criteria, up to the total cost of the individual premiums required to be paid for the health insurance coverage of participating part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents in the district:
(1) Offers health insurance coverage to all part-time faculty who meet the requirements in subdivision (c) of Section 87861.
(2) Offers part-time faculty the same health insurance benefits provided to the full-time faculty at the community college district.
(3) Limits individual premiums paid by part-time faculty to no more than the actual individual premium paid by full-time faculty in that district.
(4) Offers health insurance coverage to all multidistrict part-time faculty who meet the requirements in subdivision (b) of Section 87861, and pursuant to Section 87865.
(c) The chancellor shall distribute funds that have been appropriated specifically for this purpose, and pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b), proportionally based on each community college district’s total costs for premiums for those districts that submit verification of the costs of premiums for eligible employees for a fiscal year, but in no event shall the allocation to any district exceed the full cost of the verified premiums.
(d) If funds appropriated for this purpose remain after all apportionments for subdivisions (a) and (b) have been made, the balance that exceeds that amount shallSEC. 2.
Section 87867.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:
87867.5.
The Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. Pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 87867, funds remaining after all apportionments pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 87867 have been made shall be deposited into the fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys in the fund shall be continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, to the chancellor for purposes of making the apportionments in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 87867 until reappropriated or reverted by the Legislature through the annual Budget Act or any other act.
SEC. 3.
Section 87869 is added to the Education Code, to read:
87869.
It is the intent of the Legislature that, by January 1, 2030, each community college district commence negotiations with the exclusive representatives for part-time community college faculty to offer health insurance benefits to part-time and multidistrict part-time community college faculty and their eligible dependents.
Section 87860 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87860.
It is the intent of the Legislature that part-time and multidistrict part-time community college faculty and their eligible dependents have continuous access to health insurance benefits.
SEC. 2.
Section 87860.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87860.5.
The Part-Time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program is hereby established for the purpose of providing state-mandated and state-funded health insurance benefits for part-time faculty and multidistrict part-time community college faculty.
SEC. 3.
Section 87861 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87861.
For purposes of this article:
(a) “Health insurance benefits” include medical benefits but do not include vision or dental benefits.
(b) “Multidistrict part-time faculty” refers to any faculty member whose total teaching assignments at two or more community college districts equals or exceeds 40 percent of the cumulative equivalent of a minimum full-time teaching assignment. “Multidistrict part-time faculty” does not include “part-time faculty” as defined in subdivision (c).
(c) “Part-time faculty” refers to any faculty member whose teaching assignment equals or exceeds 40 percent of the cumulative equivalent of a minimum full-time teaching assignment.
(d) “Program” means the Part-time Community College Faculty Health Insurance Program established pursuant to this article.
SEC. 4.
Section 87862 of the Education Code is repealed.
SEC. 5.
Section 87863 of the Education Code is amended and renumbered to read:
87862.
(a) A part-time faculty member and their eligible dependents are eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
(b) A multidistrict part-time faculty member and their eligible dependents are eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
SEC. 6.
Section 87864 of the Education Code is amended and renumbered to read:
87863.
A part-time faculty member, multidistrict part-time faculty member, or their dependents whose premiums for health insurance are paid by an employer other than a community college district are not eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
SEC. 7.
Section 87864 is added to the Education Code, to read:
87864.
(a) A part-time faculty member who individually purchases health insurance benefits is eligible to participate in the program established pursuant to this article.
(b) A community college district shall reimburse a part-time faculty member for health insurance benefits purchased by the part-time faculty member. The reimbursement rate shall be 50 percent of the health insurance premium paid by the part-time faculty member, up to the full cost of the district’s most commonly subscribed family coverage plan.
(c) A community college district may require reasonable documentation from a part-time faculty member to determine the district’s reimbursement rate share, as described in subdivision (b), which may include, but is not limited to, documentation verifying enrollment in a health insurance plan and the premium paid for the health insurance plan.
SEC. 8.
Section 87866 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87866.
The governing board of each community college district shall, by June 1 of each year, send verification to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges of the number of participants in the program.
SEC. 9.
Section 87867 of the Education Code is amended to read:
87867.
(a) By June 15 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall apportion to each community college district an amount that equals the total cost of the reimbursements for part-time faculty, multidistrict part-time faculty, and their dependents as determined by Sections 87864 and 87865.
(b) The chancellor shall distribute funds that have been appropriated specifically for this purpose, and pursuant to subdivision (a), proportionally based on each community college district’s total costs for reimbursements for those districts that submit verification of the costs of reimbursements for eligible employees for a fiscal year, but in no event shall the allocation to any district exceed the full cost of the verified reimbursements.
(c) If funds appropriated for this purpose remain after all apportionments for subdivision (a) have been made, the balance that exceeds that amount shall revert to the General Fund annually.
SEC. 10.
Section 87868 of the Education Code is repealed.
SEC. 11.
Section 87868 is added to the Education Code, to read:
87868.
The sum of two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) shall be annually appropriated, on or before June 30 of each fiscal year, from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for purposes of augmenting Schedule (12) of Item 6870-101-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act for each fiscal year.
SEC. 12.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.