AMENDED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 3, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2025
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
94
CHAPTER 446
Statutes of 2025
[ Approved by Governor October 7, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 7, 2025. ]
Introduced by Assembly Member Fong and Senator Padilla
February 20, 2025
An act to add Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 11900) to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to education coordination.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several state entities, including, but not limited to, the State Personnel Board, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Administrative Law.
This bill would establish in the Government Operations Agency the California Education Interagency Council, composed of specified state officers and one nongovernmental entity representative for purposes of evaluating and addressing the changing nature of work and the economy, integrating and aligning education and employment systems, maximizing funding impact, supporting adult skill development, aligning regional education and workforce needs, and serving as a forum for discussing the impacts of intersegmental and cross-sector policy issues, as specified. The bill would require the council, among other duties, to adopt strategic and workforce plans, report on the outcomes of its work and provide recommendations regarding intersegmental, cross-sector, and interagency initiatives and programs to the Governor and the Legislature, and, upon appropriation, establish a faculty and employer advisory committee, as specified. The bill would also establish the Office of the California Education Interagency Council in the Government Operations Agency as a neutral administrative body.
This bill would become operative only if Senate Bill 638 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 11900) is added to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:
Chapter 12.5. California Education Interagency Council
This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Education Interagency Council Act.
For purposes of this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Council” means the California Education Interagency Council established pursuant to Section 11902.
(b) “Managing entity” means the Office of the California Education Interagency Council established pursuant to Section 11904.
The California Education Interagency Council is hereby established in the Government Operations Agency for the purpose of accomplishing all of the following goals:
(a) Proactively evaluating and addressing the changing nature of work and the economy, and supporting the advancement of state educational attainment, equity, and workforce goals.
(b) Integrating and aligning efforts across elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, employers, and the statewide workforce system, and maximizing the impact of federal and state funding investments to ensure effective student pathways to quality work and well-paying careers and to contribute to economic growth.
(c) Increasing collaboration across postsecondary education and the workforce development systems statewide, and with employers to ensure flexibility and support for meeting the skill-building and upskilling needs of adults.
(d) Working in regions throughout the state to ensure that education supply and statewide workforce demand are aligned.
(e) Being a forum for communication to discuss the impacts of proposed intersegmental and cross-sector issues, including, but not limited to, changes to elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education graduation requirements, including California State University and University of California admissions changes.
(a) The council’s membership shall include all of the following members, or a designee of the member who reports directly to the member:
(1) The President of the State Board of Education.
(2) The Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(3) The President of the University of California.
(4) The Chancellor of the California State University.
(5) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
(6) The Director of Consumer Affairs.
(7) The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.
(8) The Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
(9) The Director of Finance.
(10) The President of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
(b) The council’s meetings shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1).
(c) The council’s members shall serve without compensation but shall receive reimbursement for necessary expenses.
(d) The Governor shall designate one member listed in subdivision (a) to serve as the council’s chairperson.
(e) The council’s membership shall be limited to only one nongovernmental entity representative.
(a) The Office of the California Education Interagency Council is hereby established in the Government Operations Agency.
(b) The Office of the California Education Interagency Council shall also be known as the “managing entity,” and shall serve as a neutral administrative body to carry out the purpose and intent of this chapter.
(c) The managing entity shall be overseen by an executive officer. The executive officer shall be appointed by the Governor, and shall report to the Secretary of Government Operations. The executive officer shall be exempt from civil service consistent with subdivision (f) of Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution.
(a) The council’s first meeting shall be held on or before June 30, 2026.
(b) Subsequent meetings of the council shall be held at least once every six months after the first meeting.
(c) Within one year of its first meeting, the council may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data in order to access Cradle-to-Career Data System data and reports.
(d) On or before November 30, 2027, the council shall adopt a strategic plan to guide the council and its staff in achieving the council’s goals outlined in Section 11902. After the first strategic plan is adopted, the council shall update the strategic plan on a schedule determined by the council.
(e) (1) On or before November 30, 2027, or no later than 120 days after the first strategic plan is adopted pursuant to subdivision (d), the council shall release a work plan after consultation with the chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, the chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the chair of the Senate Committee on Education, the Governor, and other interest holders. The work plan may include the establishment of workgroups, committees, or subcommittees necessary to effectively meet the goals and objectives provided in the most recently adopted strategic plan. The work plan shall describe the timelines, deliverables, and interest holders that will be consulted as part of the work identified in the work plan. The work plan shall be updated on a schedule determined by the council.
(2) The council shall establish a principal advisory committee to assist the council in accomplishing the council’s purposes as described in Section 11902. The principal advisory committee shall be composed of transitional kindergarten to secondary education, inclusive, postsecondary education, workforce, and business practitioners. The Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly may each appoint, to the principal advisory committee, two individuals representing workforce and business practitioners. The principal advisory committee shall ensure that access and equity principles for underserved populations are part of their discussions. The council may appoint additional representatives to serve on the principal advisory committee to ensure representation from a cross section of relevant interest holders, such as students, parents, teachers, faculty, staff, associations, employers, labor organizations, experts, and other public entities that have relevant content jurisdiction or expertise regarding work before the council.
(f) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5, subsequent to the release of the first work plan pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), and biennially thereafter, the council shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795, and the Governor on the outcomes of the previous two years of work under this chapter, and any recommendations regarding intersegmental, cross-sector, and interagency initiatives and programs, including, but not limited to, efficiencies in instructional delivery, course alignment, graduation requirements, admission requirements, financial aid, or other public benefit programs supporting students, dual enrollment, dual admission, and cross-enrollment programs, transfer pathways, degree and certificate completion, adult education, including upskilling and reskilling for adults, two- and four-year graduation rates, affordability, and workforce coordination.
(2) The recommendations made pursuant to paragraph (1) may include those for transitional kindergarten to postsecondary education, inclusive.
(g) (1) Contingent upon an appropriation as described in paragraph (2), the council shall establish a faculty and employer advisory committee to discuss emerging skills issues related to changing skills needs and student learning. The faculty and employer advisory committee shall include workforce practitioners to help address the alignment of career programs and college and career pathways with workforce needs and labor market demand. The faculty and employer advisory committee may also develop and provide recommendations to the council for increasing engagement with industry and employers to support experiential learning, including, but not limited to, paid internship opportunities, fellowships, service learning, and apprenticeships for high school and postsecondary education, as appropriate.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall be implemented only upon an appropriation being made for purposes of paragraph (1) that is separate and subsequent to the appropriation described in Schedule 2.5 of Budget Item 0511-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 2025.
(h) Within one year of its first meeting, the council shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to access labor market and workforce data systems, and to support the integration of education and workforce planning and coordination. The memorandum of understanding shall facilitate data sharing, joint analysis, and reporting that supports the council in accomplishing the council’s purposes described in Section 11902, including identifying in-demand skills and occupations, and evaluating workforce program alignment with educational pathways. It is the intent of the Legislature that information shared with the council for purposes of implementing this subdivision shall not duplicate information that can be provided to the council by other entities, including the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data.
SEC. 2.
Section 1 of this bill shall become operative only if Senate Bill 638 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted.