State Teachers' Retirement System.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Al Muratsuchi

AB 1451 would rename the Education Code section governing the Teachers’ Retirement Law to the E. Richard Barnes Act, with no changes to benefits, eligibility, or funding.

Read first time.

#stateteachers'retirementsystem

AB 1451 — State Teachers’ Retirement System

Summary prepared for readers seeking a clear understanding of the bill’s purpose, provisions, and potential impact.

Overview and purpose

AB 1451, introduced February 21, 2025 by Muratsuchi, would make a nonsubstantive naming change to the statutory framework governing the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS).

The bill does not alter benefits, eligibility, financing, or operations of STRS. Its sole effect is to rename and reference the law in a new way.

Key provisions

The amendment affects Section 22000 of the Education Code.

New wording would designate the part as:

“This part may be known and cited as the E. Richard Barnes Act and together with Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000) shall be known, and may be cited, as the Teachers’ Retirement Law.”

The bill reiterates the existence of the Defined Benefit Program within the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, but it does not introduce any changes to those program mechanics.

A small drafting note: the section as printed shows a minor textual duplication (“known known”), which reflects the text as introduced.

Impact and affected parties

Affected:

Statutory references and citations to the Education Code’s Teachers’ Retirement Law.
Agencies, legal practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders who reference STRS in statutes and related materials.

Not affected substantively:

Benefits, eligibility criteria, funding mechanisms, and operational provisions of the STRS Defined Benefit Program remain unchanged.

Procedural and timeline details

Status: Read first time.

Introduced: February 21, 2025.

From printer: February 22, 2025.

Read first time in Assembly: February 24, 2025.

Digest notes: The bill requires a majority vote; no appropriation; no fiscal committee; no local program impact.

Legislative actions to date:

Introduced February 21, 2025.
May be heard in committee March 24 (subject to committee schedules).

Fiscal considerations

The bill has no appropriation and does not assign fiscal committee review, reflecting its non-substantive, branding-focused purpose.

Bottom line

AB 1451 is a technical, naming-focused update to the Education Code’s treatment of the Teachers’ Retirement Law. It renames the part to the E. Richard Barnes Act and clarifies that, together with Part 14, the statutes constitute the Teachers’ Retirement Law. No changes to statutory benefits, eligibility, or funding are proposed. If enacted, the renaming would affect how the law is cited in future statutory references.