Senate Subcommittee Sends AB 1098 to Appropriations to Create Education Interagency Council

Assemblymember Fong’s AB 1098 advanced out of a California Senate subcommittee on a unanimous voice vote and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee for fiscal review.

AB 1098 would establish a California Education Interagency Council made up of heads or their designees from K–12, higher education and workforce agencies and include representatives of independent colleges. Supporters told the subcommittee the council is intended to coordinate funding, data and policy across career technical education, workforce development and postsecondary systems.

The bill’s supporters said the state needs an enduring coordinating body after the California Postsecondary Education Commission, known as CPEC, dissolved in 2011. “I am incredibly proud to be here today to testify in support of AB 10 98,” Jesse Ryan, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, said. Ryan told the committee the council would create “a permanent table with our…