Assembly Higher Education Committee advances repatriation, dual‑enrollment and campus housing bills; dozens of measures moved to policy committees

The Assembly Higher Education Committee on Feb. 26 heard hours of testimony and moved a slate of bills to policy committees, advancing measures on Native American repatriation, international student exchanges, community college baccalaureates and dual‑enrollment access while taking up several oversight and technical bills involving the University of California and the California State University systems.

Assemblymember Asomer Ramos, author of AB 977, told the committee the bill is intended "to ensure the repatriation of Native American remains from higher education institutions," noting past audits that uncovered large collections of ancestral remains in California university archives. "We are committed to working with the Cal State University system to identify how we can best move forward," Ramos said, asking the committee to pass the bill to Appropriations. Santa Rosa Rancheria leaders and representatives of tribal coalitions told the panel they view the measure as a step toward permanent reburial sites for unclaimed remains.

Why it matters: Several bills heard affect students directly (dual‑enrollment access, fee waivers, exchange opportunities) and others seek to change institutional practice or transparency (UC admissions policy, BPPE regulation of commercial driving schools). The committee advanced many measures to the next stop for fiscal review or further policy debate, while speakers across the hearing urged changes to implementation details and consultation with impacted stakeholders.

What the committee did and debate highlights

AB 977 (Ramos) — Native American repatriation: Ramos said the bill would require the California State University system to audit surplus land and consult with California tribes to identify three burial or reburial sites (northern, central and southern regions) to facilitate respectful reburial where tribal descendants cannot be identified or remains are unclaimed. Tribal leaders including Leo Sisco of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi‑Yokut spoke in support, calling repatriation "an opportunity to make things right." The CSU’s representative, Adriana Gomez, said the system "does not have a formal position" yet but acknowledged the audit work and apologized for harm, and noted the CSU’s own December report showing remaining ancestral remains and cultural items. The committee moved AB 977 to the Appropriations Committee.

AB 1093 (Salatje) — California‑Mexico higher education exchange: Assemblymember Summer Salatje described AB 1093 as a pilot program to formalize and…