This bill, authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) and co-sponsored by Move LA and Transform (in the Bay Area), would provide $50M/year for discounted student transit passes for K-12 and public college and university students. It made it out of the Appropriations Committee Friday with a unanimous vote, though an amendment limited the funding to passes for low-income students. We haven’t seen the language yet so it’s unclear how "low-income" is defined—whether this means students in Disadvantaged Communities or students who get a free or reduced-price lunch, etc.

There will be a vote on the Assembly floor Wednesday. Please call or email your assemblymember and ask her/him to support the bill! Because the bill passed with unanimous votes in both the Transportation and Appropriations committees—and it's hard to get Democrats and Republicans to agree, especially when it comes to transportation—the bill may get off the floor. And then we will have only a week to convince the budget conference committee to include funding for the program in the budget trailer bill. Get those letters of support ready!

TAKE ACTION: Please call or email your Assemblymember and say that you support this bill as a way to improve student access to education and because we all need an educated workforce to keep California competitive!