That’s a wrap on this year’s Legislative Session! 🏛️☑️

September 19, 2025

Welcome to the new edition of What’s Next! We hope that you're well and beginning to see the signs that Fall is right around the corner. With the 2025 legislative session now officially concluded, we have several big updates to report out regarding the suite on NextGen priority bills and other important policy matters. Thanks to your advocacy alongside the NextGen team, we are pleased to report that we had a very successful legislative session – all of our team's bills were passed and are headed to the Governor’s desk for final action.

Over the next few weeks, the NextGen team will now turn its advocacy sights on the Governor’s Office and we’ll continue to need your help in doing so! This issue of What’s Next will provide a snapshot of the bills we’re urging Governor Newsom to sign as well as highlight a few other topics that we’re looking forward to bringing to your attention.

So, let’s check out What’s Next at NextGen:

★ Recapping This Year’s Legislative Session: This year’s legislative session is now behind us and all eyes are focused on Governor Newsom as he has until October 13th to either sign into law or veto the bills on his desk. A package of 11 bills supported by NextGen were passed by the State Legislature in the last weeks of the legislative session and await the Governor’s signature. NextGen’s Executive Director, Arnold Sowell Jr., in our official response regarding the legislative session, said, “The NextGen team readily acknowledges that in the face of strong federal and fiscal headwinds the State Legislature remained steadfast and focused on improving the lives of vulnerable Californians, tackling climate change, strengthening school meal standards, and combating the state’s nursing shortage,”

The NextGen team looks forward to engaging in the necessary advocacy work with Governor Newsom’s office as he considers final action on these important bills. We also look forward to building out our legislative and budget priorities for next year’s legislative session, which will occur over the coming months. Read more from Arnie and check out the list of NextGen legislative priorities that made it to the Governor desk this legislative session!

★ Passing Cap-and-Invest Continues California’s Global Climate Leadership:After months of intensive deliberations, the NextGen climate team is thrilled to share that Governor Newsom has signed AB 1207! This historic bill strengthens and reauthorizes California’s Cap-and-Invest Program and cements our global leadership in the fight against climate change.

California’s Cap-and-Invest program, previously called "Cap-and-Trade", plays a major role in helping our state achieve its climate goals while generating investments in climate programs across the state. Although the fossil fuel industry lobbied hard to weaken AB 1207, the bill is now law and adds more oversight, accountability, and transparency in the program and better aligns the program with California's 2045 climate goals. Get more information on AB 1207 and hear what the NextGen team has to say in our official response.

★ Help Us Get AB 1400 Signed: California is facing the third largest nursing shortage in the nation. Rural and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by these significant gaps in the state’s health care delivery system. AB 1400 begins to address this crisis by establishing a pilot program that will allow 10 community colleges to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. These 10 pilot programs will be located in community colleges that are underserved regions of the state. Community colleges serve as the primary point of entry for many students across a range of professions. AB 1400 will make nursing education more affordable and accessible to a larger cohort of students and, in turn, it envisions that many of the students who graduate from these programs will stay and serve in their local communities.

AB 1400 passed off the Assembly and Senate Floors without any “no” votes. However, a version of this bill was vetoed by the Governor in previous years because of costs as well as concerns raised by the UC and CSU systems. Hospitals increasingly require or prefer BSN-prepared nurses and given the depth of California’s nursing crisis, we believe community colleges can become an increasing part of the solution but we are going to need help getting the Governor to sign AB 1400. Follow the link to a sample support letter urging Governor Newsom to sign AB 1400 as the bill makes it to his desk for consideration.

★ Update on Immigrant Protection Legislation: The NextGen team wants to raise your awareness about three key immigration bills championed by the Latino & API Legislative Caucuses that are now awaiting final action by Governor Newsom. These bills are critically needed and help to protect California’s immigrant communities, given the increasingly dangerous conditions surrounding immigration enforcement operations.

• AB 49 (González, Muratsuchi, Ortega, Rodriguez), the Safe Haven Schools Act, which would help keep California schools safe by prohibiting immigration enforcement officers from entering school grounds without valid ID or a valid judicial warrant or court order;
• SB 81 (Arreguín), which would prevent immigration enforcement officers from accessing non-public areas like hospitals for immigration enforcement reasons without a valid judicial warrant or court order, and strengthens privacy by recognizing a patient's immigration status as part of their sealed medical record;
• SB 98 (Pérez), the Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, which would require K-12 schools and public higher education institutions to notify students, staff, and members of the campus community when immigration enforcement officers are present on school campuses.

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★ Did You Know? September is Climate Action Month, and to celebrate the NextGen team is encouraging you and your loved ones to join us in making a positive difference! The NextGen team invites you to take the Climate Action Counts pledge, a movement that’s bringing Californians from all corners of the state together to pledge their support for fostering a healthy climate. Everyday actions like conserving energy and water, composting and recycling, taking public transit or riding your bike, and plenty more small activities all add up to make a pretty big impact for a cleaner, greener California. Start making a difference today and take the Climate Action Counts pledge!

★ Member Spotlight: This week, NextGen is shining a spotlight on Senator Scott Wiener, who represents California’s 11th Senate District which comprises the City and County of San Francisco, Daly City, and a portion of South San Francisco. Senator Wiener was elected to the Senate in 2016 after serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. His legislative work has centered around a wide array of issue areas that are also important to NextGen such as: climate change, food insecurity, affordable housing and public transit, healthcare affordability and accessibility, and more. Currently, Senator Wiener serves as Chair for the Senate Budget and Senate Legislative Ethics Committees, as well as Chair for the Senate Mental Health Caucus and Co-Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.

NextGen is grateful for Senator Wiener’s commitment to improve the lives of all Californians and proud to support his SB 79, which will enable the construction of multifamily housing within a half mile of rail and bus rapid transit stops. Senator Wiener has long championed public transit in the Bay Area and statewide — most recently helping to secure a $750 million loan for Bay Area transit agencies to keep those systems afloat. NextGen appreciates Senator Wiener’s continued efforts to navigate his Corporate Climate Data Accountability Act of 2023, SB 253, through the regulatory process. Keep up with Senator Wiener’s work by signing up for his legislative updates.