In California State Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica)—the chair of the Joint Committee on the Arts—introduced Senate Bill 916 on January 27 to establish single-subject teaching credentials for dance and theatre. Also known as the Theatre and Dance Act, the bill was proposed in response to concerns raised at a hearing of the Joint Committee on the Arts held last fall about the lack of stand-alone credentials for dance and theatre. Sen. Allen stated, "California is the arts and entertainment capital of the world, and it is fitting that we recognize the importance of dance and theatre as vital elements of our arts curriculum."

Currently, California is one of two states in the United States that does not have specific credentials for dance or theatre. In the present system, dance majors can only teach dance after also obtaining a credential in Physical Education and theatre undergraduates can only teach theatre after receiving an English credential.