As the Legislature returned from summer recess on August 3, the final weeks of the 2026 legislative session quickly shifted into high gear. One of the most significant milestones came on August 13, when the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees held their Suspense File hearings. The Suspense File is a process used to consider bills with significant fiscal impacts, determining which measures advance and which do not. We are pleased to report that several of EDGE’s priority bills successfully passed out of the Suspense File and advanced to the final stages of the legislative process! These bills included strengthening the Workforce Pell program and expanding access to dual enrollment and apprenticeship programs.
With the Legislature facing its August 31 deadline to pass all bills and send them to the Governor, attention now turns to the final floor votes. Governor Newsom then has until September 30 to sign or veto legislation. EDGE looks forward to continuing our advocacy efforts through the end of session to help ensure our priority bills reach the Governor’s desk and are signed into law.
Stay tuned for additional advocacy opportunities as we approach the end of the 2026 legislative session. Your engagement and support will be critical as we work together to advance policies that expand economic mobility and strengthen California’s workforce.
For more information about our positions on specific legislation, please contact Valerie Johnson, Policy and Advocacy Manager, at vjohnson@caedge.org.
EDGE Bill Positions
SB 1054 (Cabaldon) Better Data, Better Coverage, Better California Act. This bill requires the Employment Development Department to collect and share hours-worked and occupation data from employers, helping protect hundreds of thousands of Californians from losing Medi-Cal and CalFresh benefits under new federal work reporting requirements, while also strengthening California’s workforce data infrastructure. Factsheet
Position: Co-Sponsor
Status: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee on 8/13/26
AB 1534 (Irwin) Workforce Pell Grants. This bill establishes a state approval process for short-term workforce programs seeking access to newly authorized federal Workforce Pell Grants, ensuring program quality and incorporating guardrails to protect students. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Pending on the Senate Floor
AB 1871 (Fong) College and Career Access Pathways – Dual Enrollment. This bill would reform the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) Dual Enrollment Program to remove student-level barriers and expand participation. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Pending on the Senate Floor
AB 2466 (Fong) Strong Workforce Program. This bill would authorize regional consortia to use Strong Workforce Program funds to support paid work-based learning for students and employers, with the goal of increasing employability and expanding job opportunities in high-demand fields. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Pending on the Senate Floor
AB 1980 (Caloza) Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program. This bill would require the Department of Industrial Relations, through the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, to establish the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program to increase equitable access to building and construction career pathways for women, nonbinary individuals, and other underrepresented groups. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Pending on the Senate Floor
AB 2300 (Arambula) Workforce Development: Applicable Law. This bill modernizes the administrative framework for California’s workforce development system by exempting Employment Development Department grants to local workforce development boards from state contracting requirements and streamlining reporting, auditing, and guidance-issuance processes under the California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Held in Senate Appropriations Committee on 8/13/26
SB 1340 (Richardson) Small Business Contracts. This bill would require annual reporting on the share of state contracts awarded to small and micro businesses, making it easier to track whether agencies are meeting California’s goal of directing at least 25% of contracting dollars to small businesses. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Pending on the Assembly Floor
SB 1006 (Padilla) Cal Grant B. This bill would have indexed the Cal Grant B awards to inflation so financial aid for non-tuition costs keeps pace with what students need to stay enrolled. Factsheet
Position: Support
Status: Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee on 6/14/26