COYN Legislative Agenda

Through effective advocacy, COYN and its partners helped establish the California Youth Apprenticeship Program in the 2022-2023 state budget, including resourcing the new California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) grant program and forming the California Youth Apprenticeship Committee (CYAC). The CYAC was tasked with developing a cross-sector, interconnected youth apprenticeship system in California, and its final report was released in December 2025. 

In 2026, COYN is cosponsoring AB 805 (Fong) which advances several key recommendations from the CYAC final report, including establishing a Career Apprenticeship Bridge (CAB) program to link career and technical education (CTE) and adult education programs with apprenticeships and tracking outcomes, identifying intermediaries to support the coordination and establishment of apprenticeship programs, and identifying barriers to employer participation. COYN will also work with its partners to explore other legislative vehicles to advance additional CYAC recommendations.  

Through resources secured through the 2022-2023 state budget, the COYA program provided two rounds of grant opportunities in 2024 and 2025, distributing a combined $46.4 million to 80 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship grantees. These investments helped to scale and launch dozens of public and private agency initiatives focused on linking Opportunity Youth to apprenticeships. 

In 2026, COYN and its partners will engage in budget advocacy to support state investments to sustain the COYA program for the next few years. COYN will also explore opportunities in the coming budget cycle to secure funding to implement key AB 805 provisions, including resourcing the CAB program and local, county and regional intermediaries. 

In partnership with the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), COYN helped secure a federal WIOA waiver in August 2021 that provides additional flexibility to workforce development boards (WDBs) across California to serve systems-involved youth regardless of whether they are attending school or not. Since then, at least 23 local WDBs across the state have opted into the waiver and the CWDB has formally embedded the waiver into California’s WIOA Four-Year Plan, which will be submitted in 2026.

In 2026, COYN will once again engage additional WDBs across the state to urge them to opt into the waiver during the program year beginning on July 1, 2026. We will also be continuing to collect data from CWDB to assess how local WDBs are using its flexibility to meet the needs of systems-involved youth and to produce an evaluation report documenting its impact thus far.

California lacks a coordinated plan for serving Opportunity Youth through the workforce system, resulting in a patchwork of programs and approaches with widely variable approaches to serving these young people across the various regions. To address this issue, COYN and the California EDGE Coalition advanced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 16 (ACR 16) in 2023, directing the state to develop a comprehensive plan for serving OY. 

In 2026, COYN will continue collaborating with the California Workforce Development Board and California EDGE Coalition to implement ACR 16 and collectively develop a statewide plan that will address the persistent economic inequities experienced by OY and prioritize policies that will help create pathways to success for these youth. Monthly meetings with CWDB have been established and a workgroup is expected to be launched in early 2026.

In July 2025 Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that included new Workforce Pell legislation, which expands eligibility for Pell Grants beyond the traditional student population to include students and workers participating in short-term job training programs at accredited institutions of higher education. Whereas historically Pell Grants could only be used for programs with a duration of at least 15 weeks and 600 hours, the “Short-Term Pell” option provides a new funding stream for eligible students and workers to resource shorter-term credentialing programs that as expedited as 8 weeks and 150 hours in duration. 

In 2026, COYN will work with state leaders at the California Employment Development Division (EDD) and California Department of Education (CDE) to implement the new Workforce Pell program and ensure accessibility for Opportunity Youth to this new benefit. 

In 2024, key staff and committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate agreed on the legislative text for a bipartisan, bicameral reauthorization of WIOA. The bill includes several major COYN priorities, including: replacing the “out-of-school” youth definition with “opportunity youth” and including all systems-involved youth regardless of school status; streamlining enrollment processes and allowing youth to self-attest to their eligibility; and requiring local and state WDBs to plan for the unique needs of OY. 

COYN will continue to work with its national partners to inform House and Senate members of the positive potential impacts of the WIOA reauthorization and advocate for its enactment in 2026.

Congress and the Trump Administration are exploring several legislative approaches to expanding apprenticeship opportunities, including through advancement of the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grants (YARG) program included in WIOA reauthorization and/or a potential reauthorization of the National Apprenticeship Act (NAA), which could potentially expand the federal role in facilitating and overseeing quality apprenticeship programs. Federal apprenticeships legislation would provide an opportunity to establish standards for youth and pre-apprenticeship programs, further encourage cross-system integration and alignment of apprenticeship programs, and secure new funding to increase the number of apprentices. 

COYN will work its national partners to inform House and Senate members of the potential impact that apprenticeships have in advancing the career prospects of OY, share information about the implementation of the California Youth Apprenticeship Program, and ensure that any federal apprenticeship bill prioritizes the expansion of youth apprenticeships and resources the YARG program.

Caucuses are unique forums within Congress for dialogue, information-sharing, and advocacy around particular issues. They have proven to be very effective in coordinating and strengthening collective efforts to advance causes. In 2024, COYN helped co-found the Bipartisan Caucus on Opportunity Youth (BOYC), the first Congressional caucus dedicated to OY issues. 

In 2026, COYN will work with its national partners to support the continued growth and influence of the BOYC, including expanding its membership, developing strategic partnerships with other caucuses and key committees, and utilizing BOYC to increase awareness about OY and build support for OY academic and career development policies.

Over the past 12 months, numerous key federal academic and career development programs benefitting OY have been subjected to cuts, recissions, and/or significant funding disruptions, including AmeriCorps and Job Corps. The federal government also experienced an extended shutdown in 2025 primarily rooted in clashes over federal government funding levels. Finally, the Trump Administration has proposed consolidating a number of workforce programs including the WIOA Youth Program into one “Making America Skilled Again” grant program with no specific set-asides for youth and young adults. 

In 2026, COYN will work with its national partners to inform House and Senate members and the Trump Administration about the importance and economic benefit of key academic and career development programs supporting OY and engage in advocacy to ensure these programs are provided with sufficient and sustained funding levels.

In July 2025 Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that included new Workforce Pell legislation, which expands eligibility for Pell Grants beyond the traditional student population to include students and workers participating in short-term job training programs at accredited institutions of higher education. Whereas historically Pell Grants could only be used for programs with a duration of at least 15 weeks and 600 hours, the “Short-Term Pell” option provides a new funding stream for eligible students and workers to resource shorter-term credentialing programs that as expedited as 8 weeks and 150 hours in duration. 

In 2026, COYN will work with state leaders at the California Employment Development Division (EDD) and California Department of Education (CDE) to implement the new Workforce Pell program and ensure accessibility for Opportunity Youth to this new benefit.