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 state's K–12 education, workforce and business leaders to come together in an intentional and aligned way on systemic change, strategic planning, and policy and practice that will keep students at the center of decision making.”

Jason Henderson, on behalf of the California EDGE Coalition, said AB 1098 would “address these long standing structural challenges by coordinating the systems, identifying gaps and disparities, and ensuring opportunity youth and adult learners can access pathways to economic security.” Henderson also noted the bill’s alignment with a cradle-to-career data system as important for data-driven investments.

Several other groups registered support, including the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, California Competes and Immigrants Rising.

Senators across the dais expressed both support and reservations during the discussion. Senator Cabaldon said coordinating structures alone do not guarantee results and urged the Legislature to follow up with substantive action: “We suffer from a collective delusion in California that creating structures and assigning intent about what those structures will accomplish is the same as accomplishing the thing,” he said. Cabaldon added that an effective coordinating body needs authority, staffing and legislative attention to avoid becoming ceremonial.

Other senators pressed the author on neutrality, funding and the risk that a new council could become an additional administrative layer without the resources to act. Committee members were told the bill has a startup appropriation in the state budget of $1,500,000; Assemblymember Fong said that amount is intended to “get it off the ground” and that full staffing and implementation would require additional funds and future budget decisions. When asked about ongoing operating costs, the author’s office said staff would provide more detailed estimates to the committee.

Assemblymember Fong and witnesses cited the governor’s career education master plan and a companion measure, SB 638, as part of a broader effort to better align education and workforce systems. Supporters said the council would help reduce duplicative programs and align state investments; critics warned it could slow innovation if legislative or executive staff default to sending proposals to the council for study rather than advancing implementation.

Senator Cortesi moved the motion to pass AB 1098 to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee clerk recorded a final vote of five ayes and zero noes; the motion was recorded as passed and the bill referred to Appropriations for fiscal review.

The bill’s next step is review by the Senate Appropriations Committee, where members will consider the budgetary implications of standing up the council and any amendments related to authority, staffing and reporting requirements.