“Families and Kids Need Support, Not Criminal Charges and Fines”
SACRAMENTO, CA — The California State Legislature passed Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens’ Assembly Bill (AB) 461 which will repeal Section 270.1 of the California Penal Code and decriminalize truancy if it is signed into law by the Governor. Section 270.1 makes a parent or guardian of a student who is chronically truant guilty of a misdemeanor and includes punishment with a fine of up to $2,000 and imprisonment for up to one year.
Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens shared, “I am thankful to my colleagues for passing this repeal of a failed policy that criminalizes struggling California families for their children missing school; families and kids need support, not criminal charges and fines, to improve school attendance.”
AB 461 is sponsored by End Child Poverty California/GRACE, SEIU California, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and is supported by dozens of justice organizations and the California State PTA.
Yesenia Jimenez, Senior Policy Associate with End Child Poverty California powered by GRACE said, “AB 461 strikes down an unjust system that punished families for struggling with school attendance, affirming every child’s freedom to learn without their parents being treated like criminals. By choosing support over punishment, California is planting the seeds of a more just and compassionate education system for generations to come.”
AB 461 will be delivered to the Governor’s desk for consideration; it passed the State Assembly on concurrence today after passing the State Senate on September 9, 2025.
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Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens represents the Silicon Valley in the California State Assembly for District 26. He serves on the Assembly Committees on Budget, Business and Professions, Communications and Conveyance, Rules, Transportation, and Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Human Services. Assemblymember Ahrens is the Co-Chair of the California Legislative Technology & Innovation Caucus, and a member of the California Legislative Jewish and Bay Area Caucuses.
