The Overview
If you or a family member receives services through California's regional center system for developmental disabilities, the program that funds community housing and support options just got a new name and updated rules. California's AB 175 developmental services bill, which updates community placement and resource development plans under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 18.
CalMatters reported that California regional centers connect people with developmental disabilities to services including therapies, adult day programs, independent-living support, and job services, and that eligibility rules can leave some people without access to that support. The law takes effect immediately as a budget-related appropriations bill.
What the Law Does
The law replaces the term "community placement plan" with "community resource development plan" and makes other clarifying and conforming changes. Under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services contracts with regional centers to provide services and supports to people with developmental disabilities and their families; the law updates the policies, procedures, and reporting requirements tied to how those centers develop and use community resource development plan funds.
The law also appropriates $1,500,000 from the Federal Trust Fund to the State Department of Developmental Services to support receipt of federal grant awards related to early intervention services. That $1.5 million is a one-time appropriation tied directly to pulling down federal grant dollars, meaning the department must secure matching or qualifying federal funds for the money to be fully used.
Legislative Status
The Committee on Budget sponsored the bill and was its sole sponsor. The Assembly passed it 53-17 on March 20, 2025. The bill then sat in the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review for about 16 months before being amended and advanced on Aug. 28, 2026.
The Senate passed it 39-0 on Aug. 31, and the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments 79-0 the same day. The lopsided final votes, after a much closer 53-17 tally in the Assembly's first pass, suggest the Senate amendments drew broad support from both sides of the aisle.
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel presented the bill on the Assembly floor on Aug. 31, describing it as "our developmental services trailer bill" and saying it "changes language throughout the code to merge two programs," according to a Digital Democracy hearing transcript. The Mercury News included the bill in its California 2026 bill tracker, identifying it as concerning developmental-services community placement and resource-development plans.
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