Literacy Legislation
FIS supports early literacy bill AB 1454 (Rivas, Muratsuchi, Rubio), which is now law!
Introduced by Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas on April 30, 2025, AB 1454 represents a compromise between AB 1121 (Rubio)—which we co-sponsored—and AB 1194 (Muratsuchi), combining key provisions from both bills into a single, consensus-driven effort to advance evidence-based literacy instruction across California.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi and Assemblymember Blanca Rubio joined Speaker Rivas in authoring this bill, which maintains core priorities FIS championed in AB 1121, including professional development for teachers and access to high-quality instructional materials.
On October 9, 2025, after the bill passed with unanimous, bipartisan support through the State Assembly and Senate, Governor Newsom signed AB 1454 into law, marking a historic step toward ensuring that every child in California can learn to read.
AB 1454's authors and supporters on the bill:
“I have always prided myself on being a teacher before a legislator . . . Between the leadership of Speaker Rivas, the partnership with Chair Muratsuchi, and the continued advocacy of countless stakeholders, AB 1454 is a significant step toward addressing very real concerns with our student outcomes while supplying teachers with the tools to ensure success in their roles.” — Assemblymember Blanca Rubio
“Strong reading skills are the foundation for every student’s success, and I am committed to improving California’s reading and literacy rates . . . We must make sure every child—no matter their background—has the opportunity to become a confident and thriving reader.” — Speaker Robert Rivas
“Assembly Bill 1454 is a significant measure to advance the foundational goal of teaching every child in California to read . . . I appreciate our education stakeholders coming together to strengthen professional development for early literacy instruction, update instructional materials, and provide training and support for school site administrators.” — Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi
“Learning to read is one of the most fundamental and essential skills that children have a right to and that they need in order to succeed in school and in life. With AB 1454 now law, California is declaring that literacy is a right, not a privilege. While there is more to do, this is a victory for children, families, and educators across the state.” — Yolie Flores, President & CEO of FIS
Current Legislation
Early literacy bill AB 1454 represents the combined efforts of Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Muratsuchi, and Assemblymember Rubio to address the state’s literacy crisis, following a compromise between AB 1121 and AB 1194.
Authors and Co-Authors of AB 1454
AB 1454 is sponsored and authored by Speaker Robert Rivas (29th district), Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (48th district), and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (66th district). Four other assemblymembers and five state senators serve as the bill’s co-authors:
- Assemblymember Dawn Addis, 30th district
- Assemblymember Mia Bonta, 18th district
- Assemblymember Josh Hoover, 7th district
- Assemblymember Darshana Patel, 76th district
- Senator Benjamin Allen, 24th district
- Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, 19th district
- Senator Thomas Umberg, 34th district
- Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, 39th district
- Senator Scott Wiener, 11th district
Supporters of AB 1454
Over 90 organizations support AB 1454, including:
- Literacy- and dyslexia-focused organizations: Families In Schools, Decoding Dyslexia CA, California Reading Coalition, Equitable Literacy for All, Read to Me Project, and Sacramento Literacy Foundation
- Education-focused organizations: EdVoice, Black Parallel School Board, EdTrust West, Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education, and Para Los Niños
- Organizations focused on a variety of issues: NAACP CA-HI, Courage California, Elevate California, NAACP Long Beach Branch, NAACP Oakland Branch, and Smart Justice California
History of California's Literacy Crisis
California has long been grappling with an alarmingly high rate of students who are not reading at grade level. For many students, especially those in low-income communities, this early literacy gap has long-term consequences that hinder their academic success and future opportunities.
Currently, only four in 10 Californian third graders are reading at grade level–a number that drops to three in 10 for low-income Latino students and two in 10 for students with disabilities, English learners, and low-income Black students. These rates have remained mostly flat over the past decade, reflecting a systemic issue that demands urgent action.
Third grade is a critical time as students shift from learning to read to reading to learn. In addition, students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school, and eight times less likely if they are from a low-income community.
Learn More About the Bill
AB 1454 represents a hopeful new chapter for California’s literacy efforts, and we thank every legislator, educator, and family who supported this bill and helped it be signed into law. This investment has made California the largest state in the country to have both updated instructional materials and professional development in evidence-based literacy instruction.
Learn more about AB 1454 (Rivas, Muratsuchi, Rubio) and its passage using the resources below!
Past Legislation
FIS is committed to advocating for comprehensive early literacy legislation, no matter how many bills it takes to reverse the literacy crisis and ensure all children in Los Angeles—regardless of their background—can read and thrive.
AB 1121 (Rubio)
On February 20, 2025, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio introduced AB 1121, a transformative bill aimed at addressing California’s literacy crisis. As of April 30, 2025, the bill’s language has since been incorporated into a new bill, AB 1454 (Rivas, Muratsuchi, Rubio), which still contains many of the same priorities as AB 1121. Since October 2025, AB 1454 has now been signed into law by the governor!
Families In Schools was proud to co-sponsor AB 1121, along with EdVoice, Decoding Dyslexia California, and NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference. AB 1121 had amassed over 70 supporting organizations and much coverage advocating for its passing from well-known public figures, parents, and education advocates.
AB 2222 (Rubio)
On February 7, 2024, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio introduced AB 2222 to ensure all kids can read by addressing one of the biggest barriers to learning to read: effective literacy instruction. Though AB 2222 died in the spring of 2024, Families In Schools was proud to co-sponsor, along with EdVoice and Decoding Dyslexia California.
AB 2222 had over 60 supporting organizations, more than 1,000 individual petitions, and 16 bi-partisan co-authors. In a matter of days, 500 emails were sent to the chairs of the Assembly Education and Higher Education Committees and Speaker Rivas.