SACRAMENTO (January 8, 2026) — Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas) today introduced Assembly Bill 1555, which would allow College of the Siskiyous (CoS) to enroll a limited number of Oregon students at in-state tuition rates, strengthening Northern California’s rural healthcare, public safety, and natural resources workforce. College of the Siskiyous sits along the California–Oregon border and serves a bi-state rural community where residents frequently live in one state and work in the other.
“Along our northern border, state lines don’t reflect how people actually live, work, and serve their communities. It’s incredibly common to live in one state and work, shop, and learn in another,” said Assemblywoman Hadwick. “College of the Siskiyous plays a critical role in training firefighters, EMTs, nurses, and law enforcement officers who protect California communities every day. This bill recognizes that reality and removes unnecessary barriers for students entering high-need public service careers.”
Co-authoring the bill is Senator Megan Dahle (R-Beiber), the representative for the 1st State Senate district, which spans northeastern California, including Siskiyou County. Senator Dahle commented on AB 1555 saying, “smoothing the path for Oregon students to attend will help the college, one of the state’s smallest, build the enrollment it needs to sustain academic and job-development programs that build better futures for all students.”
This border region faces persistent workforce shortages, particularly in emergency medical services, fire and wildland firefighting, law enforcement, and nursing programs. While College of the Siskiyous offers robust workforce training programs, nonresident tuition costs often deter Oregonians from applying, thus deepening Northern California’s worker deficit.
AB 1555 follows an established California precedent. Current law allows the Lake Tahoe Community College District to enroll an unlimited number of Nevada students as resident full-time equivalent students, recognizing the unique needs of bi-state rural communities.
“By expanding access to training at College of the Siskiyous, we are directly investing in California’s public safety, healthcare access, and wildfire resiliency,” Hadwick added. “This is a practical, targeted solution based on an existing, successful model that directly strengthens our rural workforce and benefits the entire state.” Senator Dahle added, “this bill will help College of the Siskiyous be a good neighbor while better serving its own community.”
Assemblywoman Hadwick is proud to partner with the Siskiyou Joint Community College District to support students and address critical workforce shortages in Northern California. Superintendent/President of College of the Siskiyous, Dr. Char Perlas applauded the introduction of AB 1555, stating, “Our mission is to provide accessible, affordable, high-quality education that meets the needs of the region we serve. AB 1555 supports that mission by giving us greater flexibility to educate students who are already part of our local economy and public service systems. This measure will help ensure our programs remain strong, sustainable, and responsive to the workforce needs of the rural communities that depend on College of the Siskiyous.”
To learn more about the status of AB 1555, please visit the California Legislative Information website.
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Assemblywoman Hadwick represents the 1st Assembly District, which includes portions of Amador, El Dorado, and Placer counties, along with Alpine, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, and Siskiyou counties.