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Bill

AB 95

Makes an appropriation to the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation for exhibits and improvements at the National Atomic Testing Museum. (BDR S-230)

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Howard Watts

Creates the California Education Interagency Council and a staff office to align K-12, higher ed, and workforce policy with labor needs, using Cradle-to-Career data.

(No further action taken.)
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Bill Summary · AB 95

AB 95 — California Education Interagency Council (Fong) — Bill Summary

Status: Introduced Jan 7, 2025. In committee (hearing postponed May 23, 2025). Re-referred to Assembly Appropriations; fiscal review required. Some bill text is truncated in posted versions.

Purpose

AB 95 would create a permanent interagency body — the California Education Interagency Council (the “Council”) — and an administrative Office within the Government Operations Agency to coordinate education and workforce policy across K–12, higher education, workforce development, and employers. The stated goals are to align educational pathways with labor market needs, improve use of funding, support adult upskilling, and provide a forum for intersegmental policy discussion (for example, admissions and graduation requirement changes).

Key provisions

  • Establishes the California Education Interagency Council in the Government Operations Agency (Chapter 12.5, Gov. Code Sections 11900+).
  • Purpose: evaluate workforce/economic shifts, integrate education and workforce systems statewide and regionally, increase postsecondary–workforce collaboration, and serve as a forum for cross‑sector issues.
  • Membership (or direct designees): President of State Board of Education; Superintendent of Public Instruction; UC President; CSU Chancellor; California Community Colleges Chancellor; Chief of the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education; Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development; Director of GO‑Biz; Director of Finance. The Governor designates the chair.
  • Meetings subject to the Bagley‑Keene Open Meeting Act; members serve without pay but may be reimbursed for expenses.
  • Creates the Office of the California Education Interagency Council (the “managing entity”) in the Government Operations Agency to staff and support the Council. The managing entity is led by an executive officer appointed by the Governor (exempt from civil service).
  • Planning, data, and advisory duties: Council must adopt a strategic plan and biennial work plans; enter an MOU with the Office of Cradle‑to‑Career Data to access data; and (per the digest and truncated text) establish a faculty and employer advisory committee and recommend tools to support students across educational careers.
  • Reporting: requires periodic reports to the Governor and Legislature on outcomes and recommendations (deadlines described below).

Timelines & reporting (selected)

  • First Council meeting: on or before Dec 31, 2025.
  • Regular meetings: at least once every six months after the first meeting.
  • MOU with Cradle‑to‑Career Data: within one year of the first meeting.
  • Strategic plan: on or before Nov 30, 2026 (text also references timing “within 18 months” of first meeting and recurring periodic updates — some text is inconsistent/truncated); subsequent strategic-plan cycles are specified in the bill text.
  • Work plan: biennially, on or before Nov 30, 2026 or within 60 days after adoption of the first strategic plan; must describe timelines, deliverables, and stakeholders.
  • Reporting: within 18 months of first meeting and then tied to work‑plan cycles, the Council must report to the Governor and Legislature on outcomes of its prior two years of work and recommendations to advance transitional kindergarten through postsecondary pathways.

Who would be affected

  • State education agencies and systems (K–12, UC, CSU, CCC, private postsecondary oversight)
  • Workforce and economic development agencies and employers
  • Students, faculty, school districts, community colleges, universities, and labor organizations (as stakeholders in consultations)
  • State budget and administration if appropriations are provided to staff the Office

Fiscal/Procedural notes

  • The digest and bill text indicate the Office and some activities are “subject to appropriation,” so implementation depends on future funding.
  • The bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and to fiscal review. As of May 23, 2025, the committee hearing was postponed.

Potential impact

If funded and implemented, AB 95 could centralize and formalize cross‑agency coordination on education‑to‑career pathways, increase use of statewide data (Cradle‑to‑Career), and create a recurring planning and reporting cadence to align education policy with labor market needs. It could influence major policy conversations (e.g., admissions and graduation requirements) and produce recommended tools and convening structures for educators and employers. Implementation costs and specifics depend on appropriations and subsequent Council work plans.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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