AB 296 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Career technical education: sale of equipment: registry.

Summary

Existing law provides funding for career technical education programs, including through, among others, the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program, the Strong Workforce Program, and a K–12 component of the Strong Workforce Program, with the purpose of creating, maintaining, supporting, encouraging, strengthening, and expanding the delivery of career technical education programs in the state, as provided. This bill would require the State Department of Education to develop and maintain a registry of career technical education equipment that is listed for sale and to make the registry accessible to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools via an internet website. The bill would authorize a local educational agency that intends to offer for sale any career technical education equipment to list the equipment in the registry established by the department. The bill would require the equipment listed in the registry to be offered for sale to other local educational agencies and maintained in the registry for a period of no less than 3 months unless the equipment is purchased by a local educational agency. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032.

Issues: ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/25/25 - Amended Assembly → 01/05/26 - Amended Assembly · 6 edits · Jan 5, 2026

MODERATE

AB 296 was substantially expanded to add a new career technical education (CTE) equipment registry requirement in addition to its existing apprenticeship fair provisions. The State Department of Education must now develop and maintain an online registry where school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools can list CTE equipment for sale, with a mandatory 3-month offering period to other local educational agencies before the equipment can be sold elsewhere. The new provisions sunset on January 1, 2032.

SCOPE

Added an entirely new Article 8 (Section 52470) to the Education Code creating a CTE equipment registry. This expands the bill from covering only apprenticeship fairs to also addressing the resale of career technical education equipment among local educational agencies.

The state-mandated local program designation appears to have been changed from 'yes' to 'no,' which would affect whether the bill triggers state reimbursement obligations under the California Constitution for costs mandated to local agencies.

REQUIREMENT

The State Department of Education is required to develop and maintain an internet-accessible registry of CTE equipment listed for sale, including power tools, table saws, simulators, medical equipment, drafting equipment, and auto diagnostic tools and vehicles.

ELIGIBILITY

Only employees of a local educational agency (school district, county office of education, or charter school) may list equipment in the registry. Equipment must be offered to other local educational agencies for at least 3 months unless purchased during that period.

TIMELINE

The new CTE equipment registry article sunsets on January 1, 2032, meaning it is a temporary provision with a defined expiration date.

TECHNICAL

Fixed a drafting error in the Labor Code section changing 'a school districts and schools district or school' to 'a school district or school.'

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

lower

Jan 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (January 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jan 6, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on ED.

lower

Jan 5, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.

lower

Apr 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on ED. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on ED.

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

lower

Mar 25, 2025

Introduced

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

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and ED.

lower

Jan 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee February 23.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors