Legislature’s Appropriations Committees hold critical suspense hearings

While several CSBA bills pass through, crucial measures are held in the suspense file

On Aug. 13, the Legislature’s respective appropriations committees dispensed with their suspense files. The suspense file allows the appropriations committees to consider bills with a fiscal impact that exceeds a certain threshold. In the Senate, bills with fiscal impacts exceeding $50,000 to the general fund are referred to the suspense file, while bills exceeding $150,000 are referred to suspense in the Assembly. The Senate dispensed with 566 bills, and the Assembly dispensed with 293 bills.

The following is a breakdown of the outcomes of the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees’ suspense files, including CSBA’s legislative package and other notable bills:

2026 CSBA-sponsored legislation

CSBA’s SOS for Student Achievement: Close the State Accountability Gap legislative package (four bills)

Assembly Bill 2225 by Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D-San Diego) – State plan to close the achievement gap

Convenes a narrow stakeholder workgroup to create a plan for greater state level support to help local educational agencies close accountability gaps.
Emphasizing students and LEAs, the proposal will require clear goals and benchmarks, annual performance targets and evaluations of key state education bodies and programs.
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

AB 2514 by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy) – State of the accountability gap tool

Establishes the State Educational Alignment and Impact Tool (SEA-IT) to provide a clear and concise method of informing the public of the state’s progress in removing overlap, creating better alignment across entities and implementing the state plan.
Status:Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 2149 by Assemblymember Robert Garcia (D-San Bernardino) – LAO report on state plan progress and alignment

Requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) to evaluate and report on the alignment between the state plan and the state’s proposed and adopted budgets, including a review of the funded status of mandates.
Intent is for the report and associated recommendations to help guide the work of the state and to help implement and align to the state plan established pursuant to AB 2225.
Status:Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 2202 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) – Program alignment and support commission

Recommends the establishment of an advisory commission under the State Board of Education (SBE).
The commission would help develop and recommend to the SBE and other policymakers a publicly available system of monitoring the performance of new and existing state programs to support LEAs in closing achievement gaps, consistent with the state plan.
Working with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, the commission will also help identify more efficient methods of supporting LEAs through the Statewide System of Support.
Status:Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

Report on reports legislative package (two bills)

AB 2008 by Assemblymember Patel – Local educational agencies: planning and reporting requirements: template: repealer

Requires the SBE to create a standardized template for local jurisdictions when completing programmatic or expenditure reports for state programs on or before Oct. 1, 2027.
This bill is co-sponsored with the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and the Small School Districts Association.
Status:Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

AB 2496 by Assemblymember José Solache, Jr. (D-Lynwood) – Local educational agencies: reports: California School Dashboard: local control accountability plan: local control funding formula budget overview

Eliminates the School Accountability Report Card, which is duplicative of the California School Dashboard, the mid-year Local Control and Accountability Plan update and eliminates duplicative and overlapping reports.
This bill is co-sponsored with the CASBO and ACSA.
Status:Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

Other CSBA-sponsored legislation

AB 2490 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) – 60-day substitute

A re-introduction of AB 1224 from last year, which was vetoed by the Governor, would expand the amount of time an authorized substitute teacher could serve in a single general, special or career technical education classroom from 30 days to 60 days.
This bill is co-sponsored with ACSA, the California County Superintendents and CASBO.
Status:Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

Curriculum and instruction

Senate Bill 1067 by Sen. Akilah Weber-Pierson (D-San Diego) – Math screenings

Requires the SBE to adopt a list of approved screening instruments for identifying math difficulties and requires LEAs to use one of these instruments to screen students in kindergarten through second grade.
Would require an LEA to assess each pupil in kindergarten, first and second grade.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor

LCFF and school funding

AB 1204 by Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) – LCFF reform

Would “remodel” the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) by establishing a minimum cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), developing regional COLA adjustments, increasing supplemental grants and lowering the concentration grant threshold, and adding homeless students as unduplicated pupils.
CSBA position: Oppose Unless Amended. CSBA amendments seek to focus LCFF reform on increasing base LCFF funding and establishing a minimum annual COLA of 4 percent.
Status:Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 2440 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi – Arts and Music in Schools — Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act: allowable uses: pooled funding: funding certifications

This bill makes various changes to the authorization for LEAs to pool allocated funds across school sites and establishes a statutory methodology for demonstrating compliance with the supplement-not-supplant requirement under Proposition 28.
CSBA position: Oppose Unless Amended. CSBA amendments seek to clarify that the expenditures of the pooled funds are in proportion to the amount of funds each school site contributes to the pool and strike limitation on expenditures, among other technical changes.
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

AB 2526 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi – Special Education Local Plan Areas: apportionments: alternate assessments

Expands eligibility for the state’s low-incidence disability special education funding program by allowing funding to be generated by the number of pupils who are eligible to take California’s alternate assessments due to significant cognitive disabilities.
CSBA position: Disapprove
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

Public education governance

AB 2555 by Assemblymember Patel – English learners: reclassification

Makes various changes to the system for reclassifying English learners as English proficient, including the creation of a standardized reclassification process based on demonstrated English language proficiency and limiting the reclassification criteria to the assessment of English language development.
CSBA position: Support
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

AB 2651 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) – Informed Parents, Healthy Schools Act

Requires LEAs to notify parents when their child’s school vaccination rate falls below the level required to achieve herd immunity within 10 business days of receiving notice from the California Department of Public Health.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

SB 685 by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-Santa Clara) – Special education: nonpublic schools and agencies

This bill would exceed a ruling issued by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by expanding the California Department of Education’s authority to certify qualified religious nonpublic schools and agencies to provide special education services to students with disabilities.
CSBA position: Disapprove
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

SB 934 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts

This would establish a revised definition of “conversion therapy” practices in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar (2026)
It would also resurrect the statute of limitations for those who suffered past harm due to sexual orientation or gender identity therapy, i.e. conversion therapy, to pursue a claim for economic and non-economic damages.
CSBA position: Oppose Unless Amended. CSBA amendments would remove the resurrection of the statute of limitations to avoid creating financial and legal liability for LEAs.
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor

SB 998 by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Los Angeles) – Educational equity: discrimination prevention coordinators

A follow-up bill to SB 48 (Gonzalez, 2025), which established the discrimination prevention coordinators in the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Government Operations Agency, this bill defines the roles and responsibilities of each coordinator and adds a disability discrimination prevention coordinator.
Additionally, the bill adds deputy coordinators reporting to the race and ethnicity discrimination prevention coordinator within the OCR.
CSBA position: Support if Amended. CSBA amendments seek to require that action taken by multiple coordinators in a single case be coordinated at the state level, to transfer the OCR to the Department of Education, make the coordinators hired positions rather than appointed positions, and ensure collaboration between the working group of LEA leaders and staff.
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor

AB 1644 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi: Pupils: use of smartphones: prohibition

Requires LEAs to adopt and update a “bell-to-bell” ban on smartphone use for students in grades TK-8 and strongly encourages a similar ban for high schools.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

Labor and human relations

AB 917 by Assemblymember Ávila Farías (D-Contra Costa) – County offices of education: school districts: average daily attendance of less than 250 pupils: permanent status

This bill would allow certificated employees to attain permanent status in school districts with an average daily attendance below 250 pupils.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

AB 1564 by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Santa Clara) – Employer-employee relations: confidential communications

Establishes a right to privilege for communications between a labor representative and a represented employee, similar to doctor-patient, marital and other forms of protected communications. In doing so, it would restrict the ability of LEAs to investigate or address issues of inappropriate or violations of LEA policies.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status:Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 2142 by Assemblymember Garcia – Classified staff: temporary employees

Would make it more difficult for an LEA to hire temporary classified staff by mandating the LEA to make temporary staff permanent if they work up to 75 percent of a school year, even if the employee quits or is terminated and is then rehired at a later date, no matter how much time passes between employment.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status:Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

SB 1083 by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) – Classified staff: egregious misconduct

Would conflict with existing laws for long-established practices in personne investigations and disciplinary hearings, background checks for egregious misconduct, and recently enacted changes under SB 848 from 2025.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor

AB 1721 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi – Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans

Requires the state superintendent of public instruction to convene a work group to review and make recommendations on existing Comprehensive School Safety Plans.
CSBA position: Support
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

Artificial intelligence

SB 947 by Sen. James McNerney (D-Stockton) – Employment: automated decision systems

This bill would effectively prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms used by employers to make employment and employee relations decisions.
It would also permit the California Labor Commissioner, public prosecutors or aggrieved employees to file suit against an employer if alleged to violate the bill’s provisions.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is on the Assembly Floor

AB 1883 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles): Workplace surveillance tools

Prohibits an employer from using workplace surveillance tools that use AI to collect an individual’s emotional state.
CSBA position: Oppose
Status: Passed from the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

Elections

AB 2573 by Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-San Diego): Voter registration information: elected officials and candidates

Modifies an existing program protecting an elected official’s or candidate’s residence address, telephone number and email address from individual’s affidavit of registration, and adds a “Safe Harbor” provision for LEAs who have opted to voluntarily transition.
CSBA position: Support
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

SB 1164 by Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Elections

This bill recasts and revises the California Voting Rights to prohibit a political subdivision or state agency from implementing, imposing or enforcing any election or practice that results in or could likely result in voter suppression.
CSBA position: Oppose Unless Amended. CSBA amendments seek to reimburse LEAs for services and fees required to transition election system and remove provisions allowing for the recovery of consultant and attorney fees.
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor

Facilities

AB 1642 by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-San Bernardino) – Wildfires: contamination standards

This bill requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to develop standards for investigating, conducting environmental testing and removing contaminants inside and outside of homes and schools after wildfires.
Would place significant costs on school districts and county offices of education, including liability costs.
CSBA position: Oppose Unless Amended. CSBA amendments seek to limit the bill to residential structures or amend the bill to limit liability for publicly operated facilities.
Status: Passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Floor

SB 1107 (Stern) by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Ventura) – School Facilities: design-build: shade structures

Authorizes a school district to procure multiple design-build contacts for analogous shade structure projects with a single solicitation if the total value of all projects combined exceeds $1 million without exceeding $10 million and are awarded to the lowest or best value bid.
CSBA position: Support
Status: Passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now on the Assembly Floor