What AB 2168 does
An act to amend Section 2380 of, and to amend, repeal, and add Section 2382 of, the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.
Existing law establishes the Active Transportation Program in the Department of Transportation for the purpose of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to develop guidelines and project selection criteria for the program, including guidelines with regard to project eligibility that include, among other project types, safe routes to transit projects that will encourage transit by improving biking and walking routes to mass transportation facilities and schoolbus stops.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, instead require the guidelines with regard to project eligibility to include projects for safe routes to transit projects that encourage access to transit facilities and schoolbus stops by biking and walking, as specified, and projects that will expand access to transit in underserved or rural areas.
Existing law authorizes the guidelines to include incentives to maximize the potential for attracting funds other than program funds for eligible projects.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, (1) instead require the guidelines to include incentives intended to maximize the potential for attracting funds other than program funds for eligible projects in order to scale funding for larger or network-level active transportation improvements, (2) require the guidelines to include a progressive range of penalties for an applicant that failed to use previously received program funds in a timely manner, as specified, and (3) require the guidelines to include a requirement for an applicant to consult with the executive officer of a transit agency operating in a project corridor if the project will be adjacent to an existing bus, shuttle, or paratransit route, as specified.
Summary from the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the chaptered text, September 14, 2026. Read the full text on leginfo.
How it got here
Assemblymember Wicks introduced AB 2168 on February 18, 2026. The text was amended 4 times, 3 in the Assembly and 1 in the Senate, and heard in 4 committee hearings before its final floor votes.
- Assembly Floor, May 28, 2026: 58 ayes, 20 noes.
- Senate Floor, August 25, 2026: 29 ayes, 10 noes.
- Assembly Floor, August 27, 2026: 58 ayes, 19 noes.
Committee votes along the way:
- Assembly Transportation, April 20, 2026: Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations], 11-4.
- Assembly Appropriations, May 14, 2026: Do pass as amended., 11-4.
- Senate Transportation, June 30, 2026: Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations], 8-4.
Who supports and opposes AB 2168
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated August 5, 2026 lists 49 organizations in support and 1 in opposition. When Assembly Transportation first listed positions on April 17, 2026, the count was 4 in support and 2 opposed. By the Senate Floor Analyses analysis of August 5, 2026 it was 49 to 1.
In support: 350 Bay Area Action; 350 Sacramento; Activesgv; Alameda-contra Costa Transit District; Albany Strollers & Rollers; Big City Mayors; Bike Coalition San Diego County; Bike Concord; and 41 more.
Opposed: County of Shasta.
Read the Senate Floor Analyses analysis.
What happens next
It was signed and chaptered on September 15, 2026 as Chapter 210, Statutes of 2026. Most provisions of a bill chaptered in this session take effect January 1.
The Governor can sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Until the decision, sign and veto request letters are the remaining channel, and the Department of Finance's enrolled bill report carries weight on anything with a fiscal effect. If signed, most provisions take effect January 1, and implementation moves to the agencies named in the bill.
What it means for transportation organizations
The work now is implementation: which agency writes the rules, when the comment period opens, and which obligations begin January 1. An organization that was not in the room for the bill can still shape the regulation, and the regulation is usually where the operating detail is settled.
The transportation group at Capitol Axis handles that for transportation clients.
Questions about AB 2168
What does AB 2168 do?
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, instead require the guidelines with regard to project eligibility to include projects for safe routes to transit projects that encourage access to transit facilities and schoolbus stops by biking and walking, as specified, and projects that will expand access to transit in underserved or rural areas.
Is AB 2168 law in California?
It was signed and chaptered on September 15, 2026 as Chapter 210, Statutes of 2026. Most provisions of a bill chaptered in this session take effect January 1.
Who supports and opposes AB 2168?
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated August 5, 2026 lists 49 organizations in support and 1 in opposition. Supporters include 350 Bay Area Action; 350 Sacramento; Activesgv. Opponents include County of Shasta.
What happens next with AB 2168?
The question now is implementation. The agencies named in the bill write the rules that decide what it means in practice, and those proceedings are open to comment.