For CAFB’s full 2025 Policy Agenda and state budget priorities, go to our Policy Page.
Bills highlighted in orange are sponsored by CAFB.
CalFresh Bills (2025):
AB 777 (C. Rodriguez) – CalFresh and Disasters
This Bill would improve California’s ability to provide Disaster CalFresh and other disaster-related CalFresh provisions during natural disasters.
Sponsor(s): California Association of Food Banks, GRACE/End Child Poverty CA
Position: Support
Status: Approved, Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 709, Statutes of 2025
Bill Text | Factsheet | Template LOS for Sen. Appropriations (due 8/18)
SB 761 (Ashby) – CalFresh Student Eligibility
This bill would streamline the application process for many college students applying for CalFresh.
Sponsor(s): Alliance for a Better Community, California Competes, Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee, Southern California College Attainment Network
Position: Support
Status: Vetoed by the Governor
Bill Text | Factsheet | Complete this Letter of Support Sign-On Form
SJR 3 (Arreguín) – SNAP Resolution
This measure would urge the United States Congress to avoid any cuts to SNAP (CalFresh) which could harm the state’s children, older adults, and families, and impact the state’s economic well-being.
Sponsor(s): N/A
Position: Support
Status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 151, Statutes of 2025.
Resolution Text | Template LOS for Asm. Human Services (due 6/11)
AB 1049 (Rodriguez) – California Food Assistance Program – Sponsor Deeming
This bill would remove sponsor deeming from the California Food Assistance Program as part of the Food4All campaign.
Sponsor(s): Nourish California, California Immigrant Policy Center
Position: Support
Status: Two-year bill (not moving forward this year)
Bill Text | Factsheet
AB 1211 (Sharp-Collins) – CalFresh Benefit Maintenance
This bill would ensure that CalFresh benefits do not decrease if the federal government makes reductions to the federal SNAP program.
Sponsor(s): GRACE/End Child Poverty CA, Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organization (CCWRO), SEIU California
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
School/Summer Meals Bills (2025):
SB 411 (Perez) – Stop Child Hunger Act
This bill would fight child hunger by creating a single statewide SUN Bucks application website.
Sponsor(s): California Association of Food Banks, GRACE/End Child Poverty CA, SEIU California
Position: Support
Status: Vetoed by the Governor
Bill Text | Factsheet | Contact the Governor and urge him to sign SB 411 into law| Individual Email to Governor
SB 48 (Gonzalez) – Safe Access to Schools
This bill aims to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents off California campuses by establishing a one-mile radius safe zone around schools, as well as safeguarding against the use of school data for deportation efforts.
Sponsor(s): State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
Position: Support
Status: Not moving forward, combined with AB 49 which was chaptered into law
Bill Text | Factsheet | Template LOS for Judiciary (due 7/8 at noon)
SB 225 (McNerney) – Caregiver Meals
This bill would ensure parents and caregivers can have a meal with their child when they visit a summer meal site by requiring the State Department of Education to reimburse summer meal program operators for caregiver meals.
Sponsor(s): California Association of Food Banks
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Senate
Bill Text | Factsheet
Public Benefits Bills (2025):
AB 79 (Arambula) – Public Benefits & Higher Education County Liaisons
This bill establishes a statewide knowledge sharing network of basic needs coordinators on college campuses and county liaisons of higher education to improve awareness of public benefit programs like CalFresh and CalWORKs among college students.
Sponsor(s): California Association of Food Banks, Center for Healthy Communities, Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organization, UAspire, The Michelson Center for Public Policy
Position: Support
Status: Approved, Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 607, Statutes of 2025.
Bill Text | Factsheet | Individual Email to Governor | Contact the Governor and urge him to sign AB 79 into law
AB 42 (Bryan) – Protect Scholarship Income
This bill ensures that grants, awards, scholarships, loans, or fellowship benefits for education are exempt from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility and calculating grant amounts for CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits.
Sponsor(s): Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organization, UAspire, Western Center on Law and Poverty
Position: Support
Status: Approved, Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 430, Statutes of 2025.
Bill Text | Factsheet | Contact the Governor and urge him to sign AB 42 into law
SB 560 (Smallwood- Cuevas) – Decriminalize Benefit Overpayments
This bill would authorize counties to process public benefits overpayments like CalFresh through their administrative penalty system. By updating the law so overpayment cases can be handled administratively, county workers will be empowered to ensure reporting paperwork is corrected and overpayments are repaid, without traumatizing and destabilizing vulnerable families.
Sponsor(s): Western Center on Law and Poverty, SEIU California
Position: Support
Status: Two-year bill (not moving forward this year)
Bill Text | Factsheet
AB 1161 (Harabedian) – Public Benefits during Disasters
This bill would require CDSS and DHCS to provide continuous eligibility for public benefit programs like CalFresh to a recipient who has been displaced by or impacted by a state of emergency or a health emergency.
Sponsor(s): Western Center on Law & Poverty
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
Anti-Hunger Bills (2025):
SB 353 (Alvarado-Gil) – Food Donation Tax Credit
This bill would extend the Food Donation Tax Credit, which is currently set to expire in 2027.
Sponsor(s): N/A
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet | Complete this Letter of Support Sign-On Form
AB 337 (Bennett) – Edible Food Recovery Grants
This bill would expand the current list for which CalRecycle can award grants through their edible food recovery program.
Sponsor(s): N/A
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
Anti-Poverty Bills (2025):
AB 636 (Ortega) – Expand Diaper Access Under Medi-Cal
This bill would expand access to prescription diapers for Medi-Cal recipients by dropping the qualifying age for “incontinence” from five to three.
Sponsor(s): California Association of Food Banks, GRACE/End Child Poverty CA, National Diaper Bank Network
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
AB 397 (Gonzalez) – Young Child Tax Credit
This bill would expand who is eligible for the Young Child Tax Credit to all CAL-EITC eligible households.
Sponsor(s): Prosper California Coalition
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
AB 398 (Ahrens) – Earned Income Tax Credit
This bill would ensure any household eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit gets at minimum $300.
Sponsor(s): Prosper California Coalition
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
AB 661 (Lee) – Guaranteed Income Research and Expansion Act
This bill proposes a comprehensive study on the needed infrastructure, funding mechanisms, program design, and population prioritization for a permanent, statewide guaranteed income program to alleviate poverty and promote economic empowerment.
Sponsor(s): Western Center on Law and Poverty, GRACE & End Child Poverty CA, National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Assembly
Bill Text | Factsheet
*This page was last updated on October 14, 2025
