Accrediting agencies.

Senator Cabaldon’s measure would temporarily preserve the status of national or regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education through July 1, 2029, conditioned on those agencies continuing to operate in substantially the same manner as they did on January 1, 2025, with a sunset and repeal scheduled for January 1, 2030. To implement this, the measure adds a cross-cutting provision in the Business and Professions Code and amends the Education Code to embed the same provisional recognition across related regulatory schemes, while also establishing a separate operative framework to take effect in 2030 for a redefined governance of public versus independent higher education.

The core change operates “for purposes of any code or statute,” granting California-wide retention of USDE-recognized accreditation through mid-2029, contingent on the accrediting agency’s continued substantially similar operation as of the 2025 baseline. In practical terms, this creates a uniform interim standard that influences licensing and program approvals that rely on accreditation status, spanning both private higher education institutions and other regulated education-related programs. The measure also preserves a consistent caveat regarding private education and imposes a clear sunset: the temporary provisions are repealed by January 1, 2030.

Beginning in 2030, the measure adds an operative provision that redefines the framework for public and independent higher education. Public higher education remains defined as the California Community Colleges, the California State University and its campuses and functions, and the University of California and its campuses and functions. Independent institutions are nonpublic, nonprofit, degree-granting California institutions accredited by a USDE-recognized agency, with the operative date establishing the new structure for ongoing regulation beyond 2029. Enforcement is not specified within the text, and implementation relies on existing regulatory processes tied to accreditation status, licensure prerequisites, and program approvals. The fiscal note indicates no new appropriation, with oversight by the Fiscal Committee as part of standard fiscal review. The measure links the temporary accreditation framework to a long-term 2030 transition, aligning cross-code treatment of accreditation with a future Education Code regime.