September 8, 2026 - SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) has announced that Assembly Bill 1159, The California Learner Personal Information Protection Act, has passed the State Legislature and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk for consideration.

"I am incredibly proud that my bill, AB 1159, which protects children and students from pre-k through university, is now headed to the Governor's desk," said Addis. "Generative AI and big-tech platforms continue to permeate our classrooms with little oversight, putting our children's sensitive personal data at risk of being sold, accessed, or stolen. AB 1159 establishes common sense guardrails that protect students and ensure their personal information remains private and secure."

AB 1159 updates California's student privacy laws to establish guardrails that protect learners' personal information and limit the types of data educational institutions and companies can collect, use, and share. This bill extends privacy protections to students from preschool through college.

As technology evolves, student information has become vulnerable to commercial exploitation. Personal data collected through educational institutions, in some instances, has been reportedly sold off to private companies, creating opportunities to market predatory offers, including high-cost loans and other financial products.

The Governor has until September 30, 2026 to sign measures into law.

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Dawn Addis was elected to the California State Assembly in 2022 to represent the coastal 30th Assembly District, which includes San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties. She is the Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 1 on Health.

Source: Assenblymember Dawn Addis