State holidays: Eid.

The employee leave provision was simplified. The old text specifically permitted employees to elect to use 8 hours of vacation, annual leave, compensating time off, or personal holiday credit on dates their cultural or religious group designates. The new text removes the specific '8 hours of leave' language and instead simply authorizes the election to be made on the date designated by their group.

New Section 2.5 adds April 14, known as 'Sylvia Mendez Day,' to the list of judicial holidays in Section 135 of the Code of Civil Procedure. This incorporates changes proposed by AB 2294 and is operative only if both bills are enacted and AB 2017 is enacted last.

New Section 4.5 provides an alternative version of Section 45203 (Education Code) that replaces 'Cesar Chavez Day' on March 31 with 'Farmworkers Day' on March 17 for classified school employees. It includes a savings clause: if this conflicts with a collective bargaining agreement entered into before January 1, 2027, the amendment does not apply until that agreement expires or is renewed. This incorporates changes from SB 1394.

New Section 5.5 provides an alternative version of Section 79020 (Education Code) governing community college holidays, incorporating additional changes proposed by SB 1394 and AB 2294.

Findings subsection (b) was expanded to add the language 'culturally significant and this act seeks to accommodate individuals' abilities to celebrate these holidays,' making the legislative purpose more explicit.

The legislative counsel digest now includes paragraphs describing cross-reference provisions from AB 2294, SB 1394, and AB 1841 affecting Sections 135 (Code of Civil Procedure), 45203, 79020, and 88203 (Education Code), 6700 (Government Code), and 19853 and 19853.1 (Government Code). All are operative only if AB 2017 is enacted last among the related bills.

Assembly Member Caloza was added as a coauthor of the bill.

The document format changed from a formal legislative text (with section numbers, line numbers, and page headers) to what appears to be a web page wrapper from a bill information site, adding navigation elements such as 'skip to content,' 'home,' 'accessibility,' search fields for bill number and keyword, and breadcrumb links.

Section 48205 of the Education Code (K-12 excused absences) is removed from the bill entirely. The provision that would have added Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as a specific required excused absence category for students no longer appears in the Senate version.

The bill's stated scope in the introductory clause is narrowed from amending five Education Code sections (37220.7, 45203, 48205, 79020, and 88203) to four (37220.7, 45203, 79020, and 88203).

The state-mandated local program designation changes from 'yes' to 'no,' meaning the state will not be required to reimburse school districts for costs associated with the new holiday provisions, since the mandate on school officials was removed.

Assembly Members Nguyen and Gabriel are added as coauthors of the bill.

State employees can now elect to use 8 hours of vacation, annual leave, compensating time off, or personal holiday credit on dates designated by their cultural or religious group for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, rather than being limited to the fixed Islamic calendar dates (first day of Shawwal and 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah).

Section numbering was adjusted: what was Section 5 (Education Code 79020) is now Section 4, and what was Section 6 (Education Code 88203) is now Section 5, indicating a section was removed or consolidated earlier in the bill.

A new Section 1 with 12 subdivisions of findings and declarations was added. It states that designating Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays is a 'civil calendar determination' that does not require closure of courts, state offices, public schools, community colleges, local agencies, or private businesses. It also states no person is required to participate in any ceremony or activity.

The findings section explicitly preserves local control: public schools and community colleges may modify their calendars only through otherwise applicable local decisionmaking and collective bargaining procedures, allowing consideration of regional attendance patterns, staffing needs, instructional continuity, fiscal effects, and community circumstances.

The new findings section references Groff v. DeJoy (2023) 600 U.S. 447, noting that public employers face 'significantly heightened legal burdens' when reviewing individual accommodation requests, and states the act supplements but does not diminish existing protections for excused absences and leave benefits.

The state-mandated local program designation was changed from 'yes' to 'no.' The entire paragraph about the Commission on State Mandates determining costs and requiring reimbursement pursuant to statutory provisions was removed from the bill summary. This eliminates the state's fiscal obligation to reimburse local agencies for any costs imposed by the bill.

The findings section clarifies that the civil reference dates established by the act do not limit an individual's ability to request leave or an excused absence on another date associated with their cultural practices, and that benefits are available without regard to a person's cultural background or personal beliefs.

A severability provision was added stating the bill's provisions are severable. Senators Becker and Cervantes were added as coauthors.

In Section 37220.7(e), the language for educational exercises related to Eid holidays was changed from 'acknowledging and celebrating the meaning and importance' to 'acknowledging and celebrating exploring the history of,' slightly narrowing the scope of permissible school activities.