{"id":79338,"date":"2026-02-19T19:26:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T03:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79338"},"modified":"2026-02-19T19:27:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T03:27:15","slug":"senator-reyes-and-assemblymember-fong-introduce-landmark-bills-to-recognize-hispanic-serving-and-aanapisi-colleges-across-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79338","title":{"rendered":"Senator Reyes and Assemblymember Fong Introduce Landmark Bills to Recognize Hispanic-Serving and AANAPISI Colleges Across California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sacramento, CA<\/b> (February 19, 2026 )\u2014<\/strong> Today, Senator Eloise G\u00f3mez Reyes (D\u2013Colton) and Assemblymember Mike Fong (D\u2013Alhambra) announced companion legislation to formally recognize colleges and universities that excel at serving Latino, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students.<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Reyes\u2019 bill, SB 1255<\/b>, would create a statewide designation for\u00a0California Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)<\/b>.\u00a0Assemblymember Fong\u2019s measure, AB 2374<\/b>, would establish a similar designation for\u00a0Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)<\/b>. Together, the bills aim to highlight campuses that are successfully supporting students from communities that have historically faced barriers in higher education. The legislation follows the recent designation of California\u2019s Black Serving Institutions (BSIs).<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia\u2019s strength comes from the success of our diverse students,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Reyes<\/b>. \u201cBy formally recognizing Hispanic-Serving Institutions in state law, we are acknowledging the campuses that are doing the hard work to close opportunity gaps and help Latino students thrive in college and beyond. This designation will shine a light on what works and encourage continued investment in student success.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia\u2019s public educational systems are at their best when they reflect the students they serve,\u201d\u00a0said Assemblymember Mike Fong<\/b>. \u201cAs Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and the AAPI Legislative Caucus, this designation of educational institutions represents a meaningful commitment to culturally responsive support and clear pathways to academic and professional success for students. For campuses, it acknowledges their leadership and strengthens ongoing efforts to better serve diverse AAPI students across California.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

SB 1255 Sponsor, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities President & CEO Dr. Antonio Flores<\/b>\u00a0said, \u201cHACU is proud to partner with Senator Eloise Reyes as she champions California\u2019s state designation for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and we commend her leadership in advancing policies that recognize HSIs as social mobility vehicles for student opportunity.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA California AANAPISI designation recognizes the real work happening on our campuses every day to support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students,\u201d said\u00a0AB 2374 Sponsor,<\/b>\u00a0Dr. Kirin Macapugay, Vice Chair of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA) and Chair of CAPIAA\u2019s Higher Ed Advisory Committee<\/b>. \u201cIn this Federal Administration where the barriers for students of color are real and persistent, a statewide designation process shows that California is a place where their voices are valued, their experiences are centered, and their success is our priority. It is essential that we break down the obstacles that AAPI students face and that we continue to uplift students across the state. In doing so, we bridge the gap between communities and students of all backgrounds in higher education, paving the path towards success for students now and in the future. This legislation is a declaration that we see them, we support them, and we are committed to building pathways that honor their brilliance.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Under current federal law, HSIs are colleges and universities where at least 25% of undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. AANAPISIs are colleges and universities where at least 10% of undergraduate students are Asian American, Native American, or Pacific Islander and where a significant share of students come from low-income backgrounds. These campuses often provide targeted academic programs, student support services, and pathways to careers in high-demand fields. However, California does not yet have a formal state designation recognizing these institutions or encouraging campuses to strengthen these efforts.<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

The proposals would create a clear state-level recognition process and governing structure to designate qualifying campuses across the California State University, the University of California, the California Community Colleges, and eligible independent colleges. The designation would highlight campuses that are intentionally investing in student success for historically underserved populations and encourage continued innovation in academic and support programs.<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

The are intended to complement existing federal designations by reinforcing California\u2019s commitment to educational equity and access. By recognizing these institutions at the state level, lawmakers aim to support campuses in expanding academic resources, strengthening student services, and improving graduation and career outcomes.<\/u><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Both measures will be heard in policy committees later this session.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sacramento, CA (February 19, 2026 )\u2014...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79338"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79340,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79338\/revisions\/79340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}