California lawmakers moved a step closer yesterday to letting undocumented college students collect paychecks from on‑campus jobs, a shift that would open administrative, research and assistant positions at the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges to students who cannot show federal work authorization. Assembly Bill 713, authored by Assemblymember José Solache, cleared a Senate committee this week and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Supporters say the measure would help students cover housing, food and tuition while building work experience, while critics warn it could run headlong into federal immigration rules.
As written, AB 713 would bar the UC, CSU and community college systems from disqualifying a student from campus employment solely because the student cannot provide proof of federal work authorization, except when federal law or the terms of a grant require that proof, according to the bill text on the California Legislative Information website. The bill instructs those systems to treat the federal prohibition on hiring undocumented noncitizens as inapplicable to state government and sets January 6, 2027, as the deadline for campuses to put the new rules in place. It also leaves narrow carve‑outs where federal law directly applies or where grant funding conditions require verification.
The measure earned a 5‑2 "do pass" vote in committee last Wednesday and was re‑referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, a procedural move that sends policy bills into fiscal review, according to LegiScan. Coverage by KALW notes that the vote pushes the bill one hurdle closer to a full Senate vote if it survives Appropriations.
“Our undocumented students continue to face significant financial and structural barriers,” Solache told lawmakers, urging that those students be given the same chance to earn while learning as their peers, as reported by KALW. Labor and immigrant‑rights groups have lined up behind AB 713: the California Federation of Teachers and advocacy organizations, including Immigrants Rising and the Opportunity for All campaign, are sponsors or supporters. Student governments have also weighed in, with the UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council approving a support letter, according to the Daily Bruin.
Opposition and legal questions
Opponents argue AB 713 could create serious legal and funding complications for colleges and their employees. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s analysis flagged concerns ranging from how student or personnel data might be exposed to federal authorities to how campus hiring practices would intersect with grant conditions and federal funding requirements. The analysis urged lawmakers to think carefully about those legal risks before charging ahead with implementation, according to the committee’s report.
Legal context
The push for AB 713 is unfolding against a backdrop of litigation and legal scholarship that has challenged campus hiring bans. In 2025, a state appellate court ruled that the UC system’s ban on hiring undocumented students was discriminatory, and the California Supreme Court declined to review the case, leaving the appellate ruling in place, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Proponents also lean on legal memos from the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy and a coalition of scholars, documented by UCLA Law, that argue the federal hiring ban does not bind state entities and that campuses can lawfully hire undocumented students if they build in appropriate safeguards.
What’s next
The bill now sits in the Senate Appropriations Committee, where lawmakers will weigh the fiscal and policy trade‑offs before deciding whether to send it to the Senate floor. If AB 713 clears the Legislature and is signed by the governor, campuses would have to implement the statute by January 6, 2027, according to the bill text on the California Legislative Information site. The bill text also specifies that the measure applies to the UC only to the extent the Regents choose to make it applicable if the university is found inapplicable under state law.
Why Bay Area students are watching
Advocates point out that there are roughly 82,933 undocumented university students in California, many without DACA or other federal work authorization who, supporters say, would benefit from safer on‑campus jobs, according to the Senate Judiciary analysis. At UC campuses, student organizers backed by faculty and legal scholars have staged protests, hunger strikes and court challenges to push the issue, and the Opportunity for All campaign has served as a key organizing hub, as documented by UCLA Law and campus reporting.
AB 713 ties together policy, legal theory and homegrown campus activism, and its trip through Appropriations will be the immediate test of whether lawmakers are ready to turn that mix into statewide law. Expect more hearings and more questions about federal law as the bill fights for a spot on the Senate floor and, potentially, the governor’s desk.
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