AB 181 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Education governance: State Board of Education: Superintendent of Public Instruction: Education Commissioner: State Department of Education: transfer of duties.

AB 181 is a procedural bill that expresses the Legislature's intent to enact future statutory changes related to the Budget Act of 2025. It does not specify any concrete policy changes or affect any particular group, as it merely sets the stage for upcoming budget-related legislation. The bill itself contains no new provisions or mechanisms; it serves only as a formal declaration of intent. Since no specific statutory changes are detailed in the abstract, this summary cannot describe key mechanisms or direct impacts.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Jun 2026

Assembly Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Jun 2026

Signed into Law

Jul 2026

Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Signed Jul 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

06/26/26 - Amended Senate → 06/29/26 - Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 29, 2026

MODERATE

AB 181 moved from its Amended Senate version to the Enrolled version with primarily formatting changes standard for enrollment (passage dates, removal of introduced-by line, header updates). The most notable substantive change is the removal of the 'Budget Act of 2025' reference from the short title and legislative digest, decoupling the bill from that framing. Minor text corrections were also made, including a duplicated word fix in Section 202.

SCOPE

Removed 'An act relating to the Budget Act of 2025' from the short title and corresponding reference from the legislative counsel's digest, so the bill is no longer formally tied to the Budget Act of 2025 framework.

Section 10864 (California Cradle-to-Career Data System governing board): board size increased from 21 to 22 members by adding the Education Commissioner as a new member, with renumbering of subsequent paragraphs.

TECHNICAL

Standard enrolled version formatting: replaced 'AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 26, 2026' header with 'Passed the Assembly June 29, 2026' and 'Passed the Senate June 29, 2026'; removed the introduced-by line (Assembly Members Alvarez and Patel); added signature blocks for Chief Clerk of the Assembly, Secretary of the Senate, and Private Secretary of the Governor.

Corrected a duplicated word in Section 202(f) where 'Superintendent' appeared twice in sequence.

07/10/26 - Chaptered → AB181 · 9 edits

MAJOR

The diff shows the entire chaptered text of AB 181 (Chapter 66, approved July 10, 2026) being removed and replaced with a new version labeled 'AB181.' The visible portion contains only deletions; the added lines are in the truncated remainder of the diff. Based on the removed content, this is a major education governance restructuring bill that creates an Education Commissioner to head the State Department of Education, expands the State Board of Education from 11 to 13 members, and establishes a separate Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Scope change

The bill fundamentally restructures California's K-12 education governance by splitting the former dual role of the Superintendent (who was both an elected official and the de facto head of the State Department of Education) into two distinct positions: a Governor-appointed Education Commissioner who runs the department, and an independently elected Superintendent who focuses on advocacy, cross-segment coordination, and legislative reporting. The State Board of Education gains two new members (one from each legislative chamber) plus the Superintendent, increasing its size from 11 to 13.

SCOPE

Creates a new Education Commissioner position appointed by the Governor with Senate confirmation, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor and assumes all executive and administrative functions of the State Department of Education previously held by the Superintendent.

Expands the State Board of Education from 11 to 13 members beginning January 15, 2027: reduces Governor-appointed members from 10 to 9, adds the Superintendent as a member, and adds one member appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and one by the Speaker of the Assembly.

Establishes a new Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as a separate entity, with the Superintendent retaining an independently elected role focused on advocacy, coordination across education segments, and reporting to the Legislature.

Adds the Superintendent as a 19th voting member to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, expanding it from 18 members.

Removes the Superintendent's authority to recommend standards and assessments (Common Core, CAASPP performance standards) and removes the Superintendent from participation in the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium.

REQUIREMENT

Transfers numerous duties from the Superintendent to the Education Commissioner across approximately 236+ sections of the Education Code, including emergency apportionment oversight, federal program administration, and various board memberships.

TIMELINE

Requires the Education Commissioner to submit an interim report by June 30, 2027, and a final report with findings and recommendations for a second phase of education governance consolidation by October 1, 2027, to the Governor and legislative policy and fiscal committees.

FISCAL

Changes quarterly Education Protection Account allocations to be made by the State Department of Education instead of the Superintendent, and requires the mutual determination on excess revenue transfers to the State School Fund to be made by the Director of Finance and the Education Commissioner rather than the Superintendent.

ENFORCEMENT

Revises emergency apportionment provisions to transfer the Superintendent's role to the Education Commissioner, deletes the president of the state board's role in trustee appointments, and adds a deadline requiring FCMAT to appoint a trustee within 10 business days if the county superintendent and Education Commissioner fail to jointly appoint one within 20 business days.

01/08/25 - Introduced → 06/26/26 - Amended Senate · 14 edits · Jun 26, 2026

MAJOR

AB 181 was dramatically expanded from a simple Budget Act of 2025 conforming bill into a sweeping education governance restructuring act. The amended version creates a new cabinet-level Education Commissioner appointed by the Governor to run the State Department of Education, removes the Superintendent's executive role over the department, and repositions the Superintendent as a voting member of the State Board of Education and the Community Colleges Board of Governors. The bill also requires a second phase of governance consolidation study by October 2027.

Scope change

The bill expanded from a narrow Budget Act of 2025 conforming measure into a comprehensive education governance restructuring act that reorganizes the relationship between the Superintendent, the State Board of Education, and the State Department of Education, creates a new cabinet-level position, and mandates a second phase of consolidation study.

SCOPE

The bill now includes an entirely new act amending dozens of Education Code and Government Code sections relating to education governance, in addition to the original Budget Act conforming changes.

Removes the Superintendent's role as ex officio Director of Education and transfers the Superintendent's numerous duties related to the state board and department to the Education Commissioner.

Adds legislative findings (Section 202) declaring that restricting access to classroom or library materials featuring LGBTQ people or written by LGBTQ authors constitutes censorship in violation of California law, and affirming obligations to combat bias against LGBTQ and BIPOC pupils.

DEFINITION

Creates a new position of Education Commissioner, appointed by the Governor with Senate confirmation, serving at the pleasure of the Governor, who vests all executive and administrative functions of the State Department of Education.

REQUIREMENT

Establishes a new Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as a separate entity, with employee transfers specified between the state board, the department, and the new office.

Removes the Superintendent's authority to recommend college and career readiness anchor standards and CAASPP performance standards, leaving those actions to the State Board of Education alone.

ELIGIBILITY

Expands the State Board of Education from 11 to 13 members beginning January 15, 2027: adds the Superintendent as a member, one member appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate, and one member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

Adds the Superintendent as a 19th voting member to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

FISCAL

Transfers quarterly allocations from the Education Protection Account (a constitutional requirement) from the Superintendent to the State Department of Education.

Changes the mutual determination about whether excess revenues must be transferred to the State School Fund from being made by the Director of Finance and Superintendent to being made by the Director of Finance and Education Commissioner.

ENFORCEMENT

In emergency apportionment proceedings, transfers the Superintendent's duties to the Education Commissioner, deletes the role of the president of the state board, and adds FCMAT as a backstop to appoint a trustee within 10 business days if the county superintendent and Education Commissioner fail to jointly appoint one within 20 business days.

Changes the trigger for State Board of Education actions on discriminatory attitudes and hate violence from 'at the request of the Superintendent' (mandatory) to 'at the request of the Education Commissioner' (permissive - the board 'may' rather than 'shall' act).

TIMELINE

TECHNICAL

The fiscal committee vote requirement changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating a legislative fiscal analysis is now required for this bill.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 29, 2026 · Assembly Mar 20, 2025

How they voted

21–4

Passed · 15 other

Total votes 40

Jun 29, 2026

D Democratic30

21 Yea 1 Nay 8

70% Yea

R Republican10

3 Nay 7

30% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jul 10, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor.

legislature

Jun 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 52. Noes 5. Page 5922.).

lower

Jun 29, 2026

Introduced

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

lower

Jun 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 21. Noes 4. Page 5051.).

upper

Jun 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (June 29).

upper

Jun 26, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. & F. R.

upper

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on B. & F. R.

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 53. Noes 17. Page 753.)

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on BUDGET.

lower

Jan 9, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee February 8.

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor