(a) The State Bar shall request the California Supreme Court to adopt a rule of court authorizing the State Bar to establish and administer a mandatory continuing legal education program. The rule that the State Bar requests the Supreme Court to adopt shall require that, within designated 36-month periods, all active licensees of the State Bar shall complete at least 25 hours of legal education activities approved by the State Bar or offered by a State Bar-approved provider, with four of those hours in legal ethics. The legal education activities shall focus on California law and practice and federal law as relevant to its practice in California or tribal law. A licensee of the State Bar who fails to satisfy the mandatory continuing legal education requirements of the program authorized by the Supreme Court rule shall be enrolled as an inactive licensee pursuant to rules adopted by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar.

(b) For purposes of this section, statewide associations of public agencies and incorporated, nonprofit professional associations of attorneys, including the California Lawyers Association, shall be certified as State Bar approved providers upon completion of an appropriate application process to be established by the State Bar. The certification may be revoked only by majority vote of the board, after notice and hearing, and for good cause shown. Programs provided by the California District Attorneys Association or the California Public Defenders Association, or both, including, but not limited to, programs provided pursuant to Title 1.5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 4 of the Penal Code, are deemed to be legal education activities approved by the State Bar or offered by a State Bar-approved provider.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a), officers and elected officials of the State of California, and full-time professors at law schools accredited by the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, or both, shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. Full-time employees of the State of California, acting within the scope of their employment, shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the State of California, or any political subdivision thereof, from establishing or maintaining its own continuing education requirements for its employees.

(d) The California Lawyers Association shall provide and encourage the development of low-cost programs and materials by which licensees of the State Bar may satisfy their continuing education requirements. Special emphasis shall be placed upon the use of internet capabilities and computer technology in the development and provision of no-cost and low-cost programs and materials. Towards this purpose, as a condition of the State Bar’s collection of membership fees on behalf of the California Lawyers Association pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 6031.5, the California Lawyers Association shall ensure that any licensee possessing or having access to the Internet or specified generally available computer technology shall be capable of satisfying the full self-study portion of his or her MCLE requirement at a cost of twenty dollars ($20) per hour or less.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 659, Sec. 52. (AB 3249) Effective January 1, 2019.)