The following list summarizes top priority bills for the California Chamber of Commerce and their status as of July 18, when the Legislature began its summer recess.
Within each subject area, the list presents bills in order of priority with the highest priorities at the top.
The Legislature is scheduled to begin its interim recess on September 12.
The CalChamber will publish a second status report in October, showing the final status of priority legislation after the Governor has completed action on the bills.
October 12 is the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature before September 12 and in his possession on or after September 12.
Bills signed by the Governor will become law on January 1, 2026. Urgency, tax and budget-related measures go into effect immediately upon being signed. In those cases, the date the Governor signed the bill is noted.
Each fall, the CalChamber publishes a record of legislators’ votes on key bills affecting the California business climate. Generally, the bills selected for the vote record have appeared in one of the status reports. This year’s vote record is scheduled to be published on November 7.
Status of legislative action on bills as of July 18, 2025. Dates listed are the date the bill was assigned to a committee, the latest date of committee action, the next hearing date or when the bill reached the Senate or Assembly floor, unless action is stated.
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Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
| Timber Harvest Permit Streamlining. AB 763 (Ward; D-San Diego) Streamlines the review of three state permits that regulate forest management and wildfire fuel reduction projects, creating a single, efficient review system, reducing redundancy, supporting the timber industry, and accelerating wildfire mitigation. Support. | Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife 3/24/25; Failed Deadline |
| Civil Penalties for Abandoned Lands. AB 732 (Macedo; R-Tulare) Grants County Agricultural Commissions authority to issue civil penalties to landholders who abandon or neglect their property to the point that it becomes pest-infested and a nuisance. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Managed Honeybee Health Program. AB 1042 (Ransom (D-Stockton) Establishes the Managed Honeybee Health Program at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/15/25 |
Air Quality
| Massive Expansion of CARB Regulatory Authority. AB 914 (Garcia; D-Rancho Cucamonga) Hands the California Air Resources Board (CARB) blank check fee authority, transferring a core power of the Legislature to an unelected bureaucracy with little to no oversight. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Inactive File 6/2/25 |
| Air Quality Governance. SB 318 (Becker; D-Menlo Park) Imposes extensive new mandates and permitting requirements that introduce significant regulatory uncertainty, force costly technology upgrades on stationary sources, and increase the cost of operating in California for critical sectors such as energy, food production, manufacturing, and recycling. Such costs undermine the state’s competitiveness and further strain affordability for residents. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Air Pollution Control District Permit Maps. AB 1305 (Arambula; D-Fresno) Requires each air pollution control district to publish a map of permitted facilities on its website with detailed information about the permit holder and parent companies as well as permitted processes and equipment. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 4/30/25; Failed Deadline |
| Costly Limitations on Aggregate Operations in South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Territory. SB 526 (Menjivar; D-San Fernando Valley) Imposes rigid new dust control mandates on aggregate facilities, overriding existing district rules with one-size-fits-all standards that are costly, operationally impractical, and not supported by site-specific data. Oppose. | Assembly Natural Resources 6/16/25; Failed Deadline |
Antitrust
| Cartwright Act: Nonpublic Competitor Data Violations. AB 325 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters) Prohibits a person from using or distributing any pricing algorithm that uses, incorporates or was trained with nonpublic competitor data, but much like SB 1154 (Hurtado) last year, a bill that was designated a Job Killer, fails to actually limit the bill to nonpublic data in any meaningful way. The most notable difference between this bill and SB 1154 is that this bill does not include SB 1154’s additional liability provisions. Remains as serious a concern, in part because other related bills that address the liability components of these issues, and existing law impose significant liability on the misuse of pricing algorithms as well. Such liability, combined with the bill’s broad and vague standards, will have a chilling effect on the use of such technologies among businesses, particularly smaller ones who rely more heavily on these technologies to be more competitive with larger businesses that have access to far more data. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/14/25 |
| Online Pricing. SB 259 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Prohibits businesses from using any input data to create prices or discounts. Forces companies to overhaul their pricing models and strategies at significant cost, to the detriment of both the businesses themselves and their consumers. This threatens not only the profitability of businesses, but also potentially reduces the availability of discounts and personalized deals for consumers. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Floor 7/17/25 |
| Pricing Algorithms. SB 295 (Hurtado; D-Bakersfield) Prohibits a person from using or distributing pricing algorithms that use, incorporate, or were trained on “nonpublic competitor data.” Exposes businesses to significant uncertainty and aggressive liability and creates a chilling effect on the use of this technology by imposing significant cost on all businesses using technological tools. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Vast Expansion of State Antitrust Penalties. SB 763 (Hurtado; D-Bakersfield) Raises penalties under California’s antitrust law, the Cartwright Act, from $1 million to $6 million, and individual penalties from $250,000 to $1 million, with no demonstrated need for reform or adjustment, thereby increasing liability and costs on businesses. Cost Driver status removed due to amendments. Oppose/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
| CEQA Categorical Exemption. SB 607 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Streamlines CEQA by allowing a lead agency to do a mitigated negative declaration for any relevant environmental areas subject to a higher burden of proof for petitioner, and an EIR for any impacts that cannot be mitigated to less than significant. Support. | Senate Inactive File 6/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Streamlines CEQA for New Hospital. SB 830 (Arreguín; D-Berkeley) Streamlines the development of a critically needed new hospital project in Emeryville by utilizing the existing Environmental Leadership framework under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), thereby cutting unnecessary green tape and lowering costs and time to construct. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| CEQA Reform for Infill Projects. AB 609 (Wicks; D-Oakland) Will help to reduce the cost of housing by reforming the permitting process for infill housing, which will allow for the state to build more housing and drive down prices. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Senate Rules 5/20/25 |
| CEQA Reform for Electricity Infrastructure Projects. AB 941 (Zbur; D-Hollywood) Reduces the time for electricity infrastructure projects to go through permitting, which will allow for projects to be built faster. Regulatory certainty will allow for a reduction in energy costs. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
Climate Change
| Climate Superfund. AB 1243 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) Imposes retroactive financial liability on companies for lawful greenhouse gas emissions dating back to 1990, sending the message that even strict adherence to the state’s compliance programs is not enough to avoid retroactive penalties down the road. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Judiciary Committee 4/22/25; Failed Deadline |
| Climate Superfund. SB 684 (Menjivar; D-San Fernando Valley) Imposes retroactive financial liability on companies for lawful greenhouse gas emissions dating back to 1990, sending the message that even strict adherence to the state’s compliance programs is not enough to avoid retroactive penalties down the road. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Judiciary Committee 4/3/25; Failed Deadline |
| Climate Disclosure Mandate. SB 755 (Blakespear; D-Encinitas) Imposes significant costly new mandates on businesses that contract with the state and risks reducing participation in state contracting at a time when public procurement should be more efficient, not more burdensome. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/19/25; Failed Deadline |
| Blue Carbon Demonstration Projects. AB 399 (Boerner; D-Encinitas) Authorizes the California Coastal Commission to require non-residential coastal developments that impact sensitive habitats to either build or contribute to blue carbon demonstration projects as part of mitigation for those impacts. Neutral. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Biomass Beneficial Carbon Removal Strategy. SB 88 (Caballero; D-Merced) Requires California agencies to develop standardized methods for fuel reduction activities and to incorporate carbon removal strategies like biochar into the state’s climate planning. Support. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 7/2/25 |
| Restrictions on Carbon Dioxide Removal Strategies. SB 285 (Becker; D-Menlo Park) Prematurely locks California into a narrow set of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies, limiting the state’s ability to explore more flexible or innovative solutions. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 4/21/25; Failed Deadline |
Crime
| Indefinite Price Gouging Law. AB 380 (Mark González; D-Los Angeles) Imposes rigid price controls without regard to the actual duration or scope of a given emergency. It effectively freezes prices for periods that cannot be reasonably anticipated or justified in advance. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
Education
| Facilitate Financial Aid for Students with Juvenile Records. AB 243 (Ahrens; D-Sunnyvale) Assists students to provide necessary documents to seek financial aid for college if they come from non-traditional situations, including the foster system or juvenile court proceedings. Support. | Senate Floor 7/10/25 |
| Apprenticeship Fairs. AB 296 (Davies; R-Laguna Niguel) Encourages much-needed apprenticeship programs across California by encouraging school districts to notify nearby apprenticeship programs if none exist in the school’s district. Also provides that apprenticeship fair attendance can count toward necessary community service hours. Support. | Assembly Education 4/3/25; Failed Deadline |
| Strong Workforce Program. AB 323 (Fong; D-Alhambra) Revises workforce programs to improve paid work-based learning opportunities. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Career Technical Education Grants. AB 401 (Muratsuchi; D-Torrance) Revises and improves present career technical education grant structure to improve both the amount and the process surrounding it. Support. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 4/23/25; Failed Deadline |
| Cal Grant Awards. AB 402 (Patel; D-San Diego) Increases the amount of a Cal Grant A or B award and authorizes students who are receiving certain awards of financial aid to transfer those awards to an independent institution of higher education. Support. | Senate Education 6/18/25; Failed Deadline |
| California DREAM Loan Program. AB 681 (Elhawary; D-Los Angeles) Increases the amount of California DREAM Loans available for an individual student, where appropriate, without adding overall costs to the loan program. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 6/23/25 |
| Equalize Trucking Training Obligations. AB 714 (Fong; D-Alhambra) Requires truck driving schools that offer commercial drivers licenses to comply with traditional oversight applicable to other training programs. Support. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Public Postsecondary Education and Potential Salary Information. AB 718 (Tangipa; R-Fresno) Assists students in determining their future educational path by requiring public postsecondary educational institutes to share potential salary data as part of the admissions process. Support. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| College and Career Access Pathways. AB 731 (Fong; D-Alhambra) Improves dual enrollment pathway options for high school students by both eliminating unnecessary requirements and simplifying the application process, among others. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Prohibiting Colleges from Requiring Students Pay Fees in Order to Register for Future Classes. AB 580 (Pacheco; D-Downey) Makes it harder for colleges to collect necessary student dues by prohibiting colleges from denying enrollment in future courses to a student with overdue debts, or from charging higher fees to a student with overdue debts. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| Computer Science Education. AB 887 (Berman; D-Palo Alto) Requires school districts to offer at least one course in computer science to high school students pursuant to a multi-year timeline, improving the future workforce potential of California students. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Dual Enrollment Pathways Advisory Board. AB 988 (Fong; D-Alhambra) Requires the Superintendent of Schools to develop a statewide dual enrollment framework to provide guidance to improve future dual enrollment options for California high school students. In time, this framework should improve students’ ability to transition from high school to postsecondary education and ultimately improve California’s skilled workforce. Support. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Requiring Dual Enrollment Options for All School Districts. AB 1122 (Bryan; D-Los Angeles) Requires school districts to establish a dual enrollment program by the 2029–2030 school year, improving pathways for students to transition to postsecondary education in school districts that presently lack such programs, and ultimately improving California’s skilled workforce. Support. | Assembly Education 4/9/25; Failed Deadline |
| Faculty and Employee Housing at the University of California. AB 1212 (Patel; D-San Diego) Authorizes the University of California to implement a program similar to existing programs for the California State University (CSU) to facilitate more affordable housing for UC faculty and staff. Support. | Assembly Housing and Community Development 4/9/25; Failed Deadline |
| Home Downpayment Loans. ACA 3 (Haney; D-San Francisco) Requires the University of California to provide downpayments for home loans for all employees. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File; 5/14/25 |
| High School Voter Registration. SB 316 (Reyes; D-San Bernardino) Encourages voter participation by authorizing high school students to be designated voter outreach coordinators and provided information on voting. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Private Postsecondary Education Act Exemption. (SB 372 Arreguín; D-Berkeley) Allows long-term and community-focused specific postsecondary education institution to continue to operate by adjusting certain legislative elements applicable to postsecondary institutions. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/19/25; Failed Deadline |
| Financial Aid Simplified Template. SB 416 (Pérez; D-Pasadena) Requires the Student Aid Commission to convene a workgroup to discuss improvements to the structure of financial aid letters sent out by the Commission and would require that the improved template be utilized by the 2028–2029 academic year. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Cradle-to Career Data System. SB 575 (Laird; D-Santa Cruz) Will help the state’s Cradle-to-Career Data System accurately research California’s workforce pipeline and should help provide the information to improve California’s workforce in the coming decades. Support. | Senate Revenue and Taxation 3/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Civic Engagement for Pupils. SB 584 (Limón; D-Santa Barbara) Expands existing California Serves Program to promote civic engagement in grades 1 to 12 in a variety of ways, encouraging civic engagement for California students. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/12/25; Failed Deadline |
| Career Technical Education. SB 612 (Valladares; R-Santa Clarita) Requires career technical education be provided to all students graduating in California. Support. | Senate Education 3/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Career Technical Education. SB 721 (Dahle; R- Bieber) Allows brief absences for middle or high school students to facilitate career technical education. Support. | Senate Education 3/12/25; Failed Deadline |
| Online Guidance for Financial Aid. SB 837 (Reyes; D-San Bernardino) Requires the Student Aid Commission to develop an online technology platform for the use of local school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and public libraries in assisting low-income students, foster youth, and others with applying for financial aid. With this improved access to financial aid, these students may pursue a postsecondary education and help address California’s skills gap in the coming years. Support. | Senate Education 4/2/25; Failed Deadline |
Elections and Fair Political Practices
| Upends the Referendum Process. AB 1188 (Ortega; D-San Leandro) Makes unnecessary changes to the state’s direct democracy process, which will make ballot initiative lengthy and more confusing for voters. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Undermines Two-Thirds Vote Tax Threshold. SB 512 (Pérez; D-Pasadena) Authorizes voters in certain districts to impose transportation-related retail transactions and use taxes through the initiative process and enact taxes that may otherwise be rejected by voters. These taxes impact Californians by increasing the cost of everyday necessities, further straining household budgets and increasing the cost of doing business in California. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
Energy
| Climate-Related Disaster Liability. SB 222 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Sets a troubling precedent of singling out a small, targeted group of companies and makes them jointly, severally, and strictly liable for virtually all damages suffered as a result of climate-related disasters regardless of cause or fault. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee 4/8/25 |
| Investor-Owned Utility (IOU) “Affordability” Bill that Provides Bureaucratic Expansion Without Ratepayer Relief. SB 254 (Becker; D-Menlo Park) Framed as a “ratepayer relief and wildfire-safety” omnibus bill, SB 318 primarily shifts rather than reduces costs while introducing additional compliance burdens and overlaying California’s already-complex energy framework with new state authorities. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/17/25 |
| Cleaner, Cheaper, and More Reliable Electricity through Grid Integration. SB 540 (Becker; D-Menlo Park) Authorizes California’s Independent System Operator to participate in an independent regional energy market. Integration promises to cut energy costs by up to $800 million annually, increase grid reliability, and reduce clean energy curtailments. Support. | Assembly Utilities and Energy 7/10/25; Failed Deadline |
| Political Micromanagement that Distracts from Real Affordability Solutions. SB 332 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Launches a costly, politicized study of investor-owned utility takeovers with predetermined outcomes. Sends the wrong signal to investors and lenders, destabilizes utility governance, and risks delaying the real reforms needed to make energy safer and more affordable. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Unnecessary Mandate that Risks Impeding Beneficial Load Growth. SB 57 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Directs the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish a new special tariff for high-voltage large-load customers to avoid shifting interconnection costs onto residential customers. Ignores current practice, CPUC precedent against cost-shift, and currently pending proceeding to establish a new interconnection rule. Could discourage beneficial load growth by locking in rigid requirements such as 100% renewable power procurement mandate and on-site batteries that are costly, inflexible, and not grounded in actual system needs. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Restrictions on Utility-Scale Battery Deployment. AB 303 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) Severely limits the deployment of utility-scale battery storage essential to meeting the state’s climate and grid-reliability goals. Risks stalling innovation and increasing project costs. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Utilities and Energy 3/10/25 |
| Utility Rate Cap that Jeopardizes Grid Reliability. AB 99 (Ta; R-Westminster) Threatens safety and long-term system resilience by imposing an artificial cap on investor-owned utility rate increases tied to inflation, risking underfunding for wildfire prevention and grid reliability. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 4/30/25; Failed Deadline |
| Geothermal Field Development and Generation Siting. AB 531 (Rogers; D-Santa Rosa) Makes geothermal powerplants and geothermal field development projects eligible for the California Energy Commission’s opt-in certification framework, a process designed to reduce permitting timelines while maintaining robust environmental protections. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Prohibition on Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU) Rate Recovery for Political Activities and Promotional Advertising. AB 1167 (Berman; D-Palo Alto) Unnecessary expansion of existing prohibitions on IOU rate recovery for expenses related to political activities and promotional advertising. Produces little savings and will likely increase rates through additional liabilities, overhead, and compliance burdens. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/7/25 |
| Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program Revisions. AB 1417 (Stefani; D-San Francisco) Authorizes the California Energy Commission to use funds placed into the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program to fund community capacity building grants. Neutral. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Prohibition on IOU Rate Recovery for Political Activities and Promotional Advertising. SB 24 (McNerney; D-Pleasanton) Unnecessary expansion of existing prohibitions on IOU rate recovery for expenses related to political activities and promotional advertising. Produces little savings and will likely increase rates through additional liabilities, overhead, and compliance burdens. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 6/25/25 |
| Wildfire Mitigation Planning. SB 256 (Pérez; D-Pasadena) Updates wildfire mitigation planning and requires the California Public Utilities Commission to update General Order 95 to require electrical corporations to remove permanently abandoned facilities. Neutral. | Assembly Appropriations 7/14/25 |
| Costly and Redundant Power Grab that Risks Higher Rates and Wildfire Exposure. SB 330 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Creates a new transmission authority to fund, own, and operate new transmission projects with no proven cost savings. Undermines local tax revenue and sidelines experienced transmission providers at a time when grid reliability is already under pressure. Instead of lowering costs, it adds complexity and risk for IOU customers and California taxpayers alike. Oppose. | Assembly Utilities and Energy 6/9/25; Failed Deadline |
Environmental Regulation
| New Climate Disclosure. AB 405 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) Imposes duplicative, costly and misaligned regulatory requirements on apparel companies that will increase clothing prices and worsen affordability for Californians, all without delivering meaningful sustainability improvements to global supply chain practices. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| CEQA Expansion. AB 52 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters) Substantially expands CEQA by upending the existing tribal consultation process to create new, unworkable procedures that will lead to increased litigation, project delays and costs on new economic development, including the construction of much-needed homes. Oppose. | Assembly Local Government 4/24/25; Failed Deadline |
Gaming/Alcohol
| Tribal Nation Grant Funds. AB 221 (Ramos; D-Highland) Streamlines the existing Tribal Nation Grant Fund process to provide annual equal distribution grants to specified federal recognized tribes. Support. | Senate Appropriations 6/24/25 |
Health Care
| Prohibits Cost Sharing. AB 298 (Bonta; D-Alameda) Increases premiums for California’s employers and employees by restricting insurers from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, or copayment for in-network health care services provided to an enrollee under 21 years of age. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Health 2/10/25; Failed Deadline |
| Pharmacy Network Disruption. SB 41 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Recently enacted state budget now includes Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) licensing and data collection framework, so policy included in SB 41 is premature. Amendments dated June 30, 2025, align the bill with this new framework and attempt to exempt ERISA plans. SB 41 also still limits the use of preferred pharmacy networks and financial incentives which will lead to increased drug costs for patients and employers. Oppose/Former Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Health Care Costs Increase. SB 306 (Becker; D-Menlo Park) Prevents health plans from requiring prior authorization (PA) for certain health care services and prescriptions if they meet certain approval thresholds. Increases costs by eradicating an effective cost control measure, leading to higher premiums for California’s employers. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 371 (Haney; D-San Francisco) Requires dental plans to pay a noncontracting provider directly for covered services if they submit an assignment of benefits. Providers would be disincentivized to contract, driving up the cost of dental plans for employers and consumers. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 384 (Connolly; D-San Rafael) Prevents insurers from requiring certain contracted health care providers from obtaining a prior authorization for certain substance use disorder services, increasing health care costs by eliminating fraud control measures. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 510 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) Allows upon request by a provider, certain health care decisions to be reviewed by a licensed physician of the same or similar specialty as the requesting provider and to expedite the process to occur within 2 days, potentially increasing the cost of premiums for employers and consumers. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 512 (Harabedian; D-Pasadena) Shortens the timeline of prior authorization requests, requiring more staff and administration costs that ultimately increase premiums for employers and consumers. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Prior Authorization for Health Care Coverage. AB 539 (Schiavo; D-Chatsworth) Requires a prior authorization for a health care service by a health plan to remain valid for a period of at least one year from the date of approval, or throughout the course of prescribed treatment, if less than one year. Potential to increase premiums given increased unnecessary care or waste in the health care system. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Health 5/21/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 575 (Arambula; D-Fresno) Mandates health plans maintain specific coverage for obesity treatments, including intensive behavioral therapy and at least one anti-obesity medication without prior authorization. Oppose. | Assembly Health 2/24/25; Failed Deadline |
| Prescription Drug Cost Driver. AB 577 (Wilson; D-Suisun City) Increases prescription drug costs for employers by banning brown bagging and augmenting white bagging practices for injectable and infusible medications. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. AB 669 (Haney; D-San Francisco) Prevents insurers from applying concurrent or retrospective review of medical necessity of in-network health care services and benefits for the first 28 days of an inpatient substance use disorder (SUD) stay, increasing health care costs by eliminating fraud control measures. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Pharmaceutical Cost Driver. AB 910 (Bonta; D-Alameda) Eliminates tools California’s employers use when designing their benefits which will lead to increased drug costs for patients and employers. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| Health Care Costs Increase. AB 1429 (Bains; D-Delano) Requires only a certain health plan to reimburse enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs for behavioral health care services obtained from out-of-network facilities or mental health prescriptions obtained from a non-plan pharmacy or providers. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| CARE Court. SB 27 (Umberg; D-Santa Ana) Makes timely and important improvements to the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Health Care Premiums Increase. SB 535 (Richardson; D-San Pedro) Mandates health plans maintain specific coverage for obesity treatments, including intensive behavioral therapy, bariatric surgery and at least one anti-obesity medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| New Labor Data Reporting Requirement. SB 747 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Requires a single organization to report confidential compensation information to the Department of Industrial Relations and potentially disrupt labor contract negotiations. Oppose. | Senate Inactive File 6/5/25 |
Housing and Land Use
| Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Fees for New Housing. SB 130 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Imposes a new mandated mitigation fee on housing construction developers because of vehicle miles traveled despite other provisions streamlining housing in the bill. Oppose. | Assembly Budget 6/26/25 |
| Rent Control. AB 246 (Bryan; D-Los Angeles) Prohibits residential rental property owners in the County of Los Angeles from increasing rental rates beyond levels charged as of January 7, 2025, and empowers district attorneys to enforce with civil penalties up to $10,000 until 12 months after the state of emergency is lifted by the Governor. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Eliminates Duplicative Bonding Requirements for Housing. AB 782 (Quirk-Silva; D-Fullerton) Eliminates duplicative bonding requirements for private improvements in housing developments and provides a straightforward solution by clarifying that local governments cannot require bonding or other security for private improvements that will not be publicly owned. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/14/25 |
| Statewide Rent Control. AB 1157 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Imposes permanent statewide rent control on rental housing, including single-family homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and individually owned condominiums, by capping annual rent increases at 2% plus the change in the cost of living, or 5%, whichever is lower. Oppose. | Assembly Judiciary 4/24/25; Failed Deadline |
| Modernizing Permit Streamlining Act. SB 489 (Arreguín; D-Berkeley) Reduces unnecessary delays, lowers construction costs, and accelerates housing production by requiring all public agencies to post online the information needed for a housing development application to be deemed complete. It also eliminates gaps in the Permit Streamlining Act and clarifies its relationship to post entitlement permitting statutes, ensuring that all public agency approvals needed to build housing are clearly governed by one framework or the other. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Rent Control. SB 522 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Among other things, changes the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act to impose residential rent control on any real property that was under rent control at the local level and is rebuilt after it was damaged or destroyed by a disaster. Oppose. | Assembly Floor 7/17/25 |
| Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts. AB 417 (Carrillo; D-Palmdale) Improves the ability for local governments to build critical infrastructure and provide financing for economic development in targeted districts within their jurisdiction. It will allow economic development projects to receive additional financing, which incentivizes businesses to invest and create more jobs. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Senate Floor 6/19/25 |
| Expedites Entitlement Process for Housing Construction. AB 1308 (Hoover; R-Folsom) Requires the building department to provide an applicant of a residential building permit with an estimated timeframe in which the inspection of the permitted work will be completed, upon receiving a notice of the completion of the permitted work, to reduce costs and ultimately housing prices. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/15/25 |
Insurance
| Duplicative Privacy Regulation for Insurance Industry. SB 354 (Limón; D-Santa Barbara) Creates duplicative privacy regulations applicable to the insurance industry, when the landmark California Consumer Privacy Act (CPPA) applies to the industry and already regulates the topic. Oppose. | Assembly Insurance 6/16/25; Failed Deadline |
| FAIR Plan. AB 226 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Authorizes the FAIR Plan to secure bond funds from the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank). These bonds can provide an immediate cash infusion into the FAIR Plan to ensure that smaller admitted insurers do not have to immediately pay assessments to the FAIR Plan and go bankrupt to backfill the FAIR Plan. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
Labor and Employment
| Expands Private Right of Action for Penalties. SB 310 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Creates a new private right of action for wage and hour penalties that will be manipulated by trial attorneys, undermining the 2024 Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) reform, which sought to reduce avenues for litigation abuse. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Inactive File 6/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Restricts Workplace Safety and Security Tools. AB 1331 (Elhawary; D-Los Angeles) Undermines workplace safety in every California workplace by effectively prohibiting the use of any surveillance technology in certain areas of the workplace, including security cameras, cybersecurity systems, and anti-theft devices. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Restricts Use of Automated Decision Systems in Employment. SB 7 (McNerney; D-Pleasanton) Imposes impractical requirements on employers of every size related to automated decision systems, which will discourage the use of such tools and subject employers to costly litigation and onerous new compliance procedures. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Restricts Use of Data in Employment. AB 1221 (Bryan; D-Los Angeles) Imposes impractical requirements on employers of every size relating to any worker data collected by a workplace surveillance tool, which is defined so broadly that it would affect everything from security footage to emails. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Creates New Penalty and Revises Wage Claim Procedures. AB 1234 (Ortega; D-San Leandro) Imposes new 30% penalty on orders issued by the Labor Commissioner, which penalizes employers that exercise their due process rights. Also makes other burdensome changes to the existing claims process. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Onerous Return to Work Mandate. AB 858 (Lee; D-San Jose) Unnecessarily transforms prior COVID-19 specific law that created an onerous and stringent process for specific employers to return employees to the workforce for specified industries into a new mandate that applies to any state of emergency. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Restricts Employee Benefits. AB 692 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Prohibits benefits like hiring bonuses or tuition-assistance payment programs voluntarily offered by employers to incentivize and retain employees. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Publication of Workplace Surveillance Tools. SB 238 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Requires Department of Industrial Relations to publicly post the workplace surveillance tools used by every business in California, which will jeopardize security and put significant cost on the department. Oppose. | Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 6/26/25; Failed Deadline |
| Publication of Pay Data. SB 464 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Encourages litigation against employers based on the publication of broad, unreliable data collected by the state, which will unnecessarily drive up costs. Cost Driver status and opposition removed based on May 1, 2025 amendments removing publication provision. Neutral/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Use of Technology in Grocery and Retail Stores. SB 442 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Overly prescriptive mandate regarding the use of self-checkout stations that will frustrate customers and increase costs to retailers. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 7/9/25 |
| NLRB Jurisdiction. AB 288 (McKinnor; D-Inglewood) Transfers jurisdiction of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) matters to Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) whenever certain criteria are met in violation of the Garmon preemption doctrine and explicitly allows PERB to rely on its own precedent based on laws outside of the National Labor Relations Act. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Workforce Development Funding. AB 338 (Solache; D-Lakewood) Establishes funding for purposes of assisting workforce development in counties impacted by the 2025 wildfires. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Local Entity Contracts. AB 339 (Ortega; D-San Leandro) Significantly limits the ability of public entities to contract with local small businesses or nonprofits. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Employee-Union Agent Evidentiary Privilege. AB 340 (Ahrens; D-Sunnyvale) Effectively creates a new, broad evidentiary privilege in the public sector that is one-sided and will preclude relevant evidence during litigation or workplace investigations. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Worker Classification. AB 504 (Ta; R-Westminster) Ensures equal treatment of licensed manicurists by granting them the same independent contractor exemption as other beauty industry professionals. Support. | Assembly Labor and Employment 2/24/25; Failed Deadline |
| Rest Periods: Safety Sensitive Positions. AB 751 (Gipson; D-Carson) Makes exceptions to California’s rest period requirements permanent for particular jobs. Support. | Signed—Chapter 42 |
| Return to Work Mandate. AB 1136 (Ortega; D-San Leandro) Creates onerous rehire process for employers who must rehire specific employees for up to two years after their employment has terminated and creates new leave requirement that does not account for any existing paid time off (PTO) the employee may already have through their employer. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Ghost Jobs. AB 1251 (Berman; D-Palo Alto) Mandates that job postings specify whether the advertised position is for a vacancy and will be enforced by the California Privacy Protection Agency. Concerns removed based on April 9 amendments changing enforcement mechanism. Neutral. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/14/25 |
| Transportation Network Company Drivers. AB 1340 (Wicks; D-Oakland) Conflicts with the voters’ intent in passing Proposition 22 and fundamentally changes the way ridesharing works. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Publication of Labor Commissioner Orders. SB 261 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Requires all orders issued by the Labor Commissioner’s office to be made public, inappropriately putting all employers on a list akin to that reserved for employers with outstanding judgments. Moved to neutral after May 23, 2025, amendments. Neutral. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Workplace Notices and Payment of Wages. SB 294 (Reyes; D-San Bernardino) Requires employers to provide duplicative notices drafted by Department of Industrial Relations to all employees and requires employers to notify and pay an employee’s emergency contact if they are arrested. Opposition removed due to May 1, 2025 amendments making use of template notice voluntary, eliminating private right of action, reducing the number of notices required, and altering requirements related to emergency contacts. Neutral. | Assembly Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Overtime Hours for Agricultural Workers. SB 628 (Grove; R-Bakersfield) Benefits farm workers and their employers by creating a payroll tax credit to reimburse agricultural employers for overtime wages paid to their ag employees. Support. | Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement 3/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Creates Unprecedented 10-Year Damages Recovery Period. SB 642 (Limón; D-Santa Barbara) Amends the Equal Pay Act to allow a plaintiff to recover damages dating back 10 years, requiring employers to litigate 10 years’ worth of fact-specific claims. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Meal Period Exemption for Water Corporations. SB 693 (Cortese; D-San Jose) Creates an exemption from California’s overly rigid meal period requirements for employees of certain water corporations. Support. | Signed—Chapter 95 |
| Ports: Truck Drivers. SB 703 (Richardson; D-San Pedro) Originally created needless litigation between truckers and port authorities due to federal preemption of several provisions and assigned port authorities with responsibility to enforce labor law provisions that conflict with federal regulations. Opposition removed due to June 16, 2025 amendments addressing concerns about reporting of information for truck drivers conducting business at the state’s ports. Neutral. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
Legal Reform and Protection
| Burdens Rewards Programs with New Private Right of Action. AB 446 (Ward; D-San Diego) Makes it considerably harder to offer basic-consumer friendly pricing practices — such as local discounts, loyalty programs, and others — by creating a private right of action for any use of personal information or aggregate data in pricing if new consent standards are not met. Also conflicts with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by rewriting disclosure and consent obligations necessary to use personally identifiable information and creates entirely new consent and opt-in obligations for the use of aggregate information. Creates private right of action to enforce its provisions. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Correct Abusive Lawsuits Related to Wiretapping Statute. SB 690 (Caballero; D-Merced) Prevents use of outdated wiretapping statute by plaintiffs’ attorneys to sue websites for use of widely accepted practices, such as cookies, which are legal and appropriate under other statutes. Support. | Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 7/1/25; Failed Deadline |
| Employee-Union Agent Evidentiary Privilege. AB 1109 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Creates a new evidentiary privilege that is one-sided and will provide a union representative with an unfair opportunity to preclude relevant evidence during litigation regarding labor disputes or collective bargaining, that may ultimately result in the miscarriage of justice. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/14/25 |
| Right to Cure. SB 84 (Niello; R-Fair Oaks) Provides businesses with time to cure an alleged Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violation to curb frivolous litigation. Support. | Assembly Judiciary 6/16/25; Failed Deadline |
| Slower Car-Buying Process and Changes to Right of Return. SB 766 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Original bill dramatically increased legal liability to car dealers. Now rewrites existing car-buying process, including: (1) additional disclosures and advisements; (2) creating a longer right to return vehicles and dealership right to recover costs of return. Cost Driver tag removed after removal of private right of action with June 26, 2025 amendments. Opposition removed after July 17, 2025 amends removal of a variety of new obligations, and addition of dealerships’ ability to recover for costs of return. Neutral/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Floor 7/17/25 |
| Creates Duplicative Tax Enforcement via the False Claims Act. SB 799 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Enables the Attorney General to duplicate (and potentially conflict with) the tax enforcement efforts of the tax agencies and also allows suits by private counsel related to alleged tax fraud. Oppose. | Senate Revenue and Taxation 4/9/25; Failed Deadline |
| Hospitality Zones. AB 342 (Haney; D-San Francisco) Allows alcohol sales until 4 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, or certain holidays, within defined Hospitality Zones. Support. | Assembly Governmental Organization 6/18/25; Failed Deadline |
| Capping Termination Fees for Installment Contracts. AB 483 (Irwin; D-Thousand Oaks) Adds new disclosure requirements and caps the permissible early termination fees for installment contracts at an arbitrary 20% of contract value, regardless of whether that covers costs for the seller. Oppose. | Senate Floor 6/26/25 |
| Food Delivery Platform Refund and Phone Service Requirements. AB 578 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Creates new requirements around in-cash refunds regardless of issue, which will encourage fraud. In addition, requires personal phone response for food delivery platforms despite cost to consumer of doing so. Oppose. | Senate Floor 7/16/25 |
| CASp Inspections. AB 649 (Lowenthal; D-Long Beach) Creates legal protections for businesses that receive a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) inspection and make corrections. Position changed to Oppose based on May 12, 2025 amendments restricting businesses’ ability to recover attorneys fees and implementing hurdles for small businesses to take advantage of the program such that few businesses are likely to utilize it. Oppose. | Senate Judiciary 6/18/25; Failed Deadline |
| Litigation Financing Disclosures. AB 743 (Michelle Rodrigez; D-Pomona) Requires private funders of plaintiffs’ lawsuits to disclose certain information about their agreements with plaintiffs to fund such litigation. Without such disclosures, litigation financing poses ethical risks and encourages litigation by treating it like a financial investment for plaintiffs, as opposed to a method of compensation. Support. | Senate Banking and Financial Institutions 6/11/25; Failed Deadline |
| Civil Procedure: Recovery of Defense Costs. AB 859 (Macedo; R-Tulare) Improves equality for plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation by allowing recovery of fees for defendants or cross-defendants in more cases. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Third-Party Litigation Financing. AB 931 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Places insufficient obligations on third-party litigation financing where more stringent regulation is needed and bans novel legal practices across state lines that can lower costs for consumers. | Senate Floor 7/3/25 |
| Prohibit Parasitic Sales of Reservations by Third Parties. AB 1245 (Stefani; D-San Francisco) Prohibits third-party companies from making reservations at restaurants then selling those reservations to consumers without any agreement or contract with the underlying restaurant to permit such sales. Oppose. | Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 3/13/25; Failed Deadline |
| Duplicative Regulatory Framework for Labor Contractors. AB 1362 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Duplicates existing obligations on labor contractors, creating a particular and unnecessary burden for agricultural employers. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Increased Damages in Civil Actions Involving a Decedent. SB 29 (Laird; D-Santa Cruz) Removes a long-standing prohibition on relatives of a decedent in a civil lawsuit from recovering damages for pain, suffering, and disfigurement of the deceased, but would continue to allow decedents to recover damages for the loss of the companionship for the decedent, effectively increasing the already-proportionately high recoveries for plaintiffs in California. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Exclusion of Bias Mitigation Training Discussion from Evidence. SB 303 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Excludes some forms of admissions made by public or private sector employees if they occur during bias mitigation training. Opposition removed after bill was amended to apply equally to public and private employers, whereas it had previously excluded only statements made by public sector employees. Neutral. | Assembly Floor 7/10/25 |
| Transient Occupancy Tax Collection for Short-Term Rentals. SB 346 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles) Attempts to facilitate collection of transient occupancy taxes by local governments by creating new obligations for short-term rental facilitators — but oversteps some Fourth Amendment concerns. Support If Amended. | Assembly Floor 7/17/25 |
| Extends COVID-Era Exemptions to Public Meeting Requirements. SB 470 (Laird; D-Santa Cruz) Extends COVID-era authorizations to loosen open-government obligations for public meetings of State boards governed by the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act and consequently lessens the public’s ability to access board members. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Massive Liability Increase for Online Transactions Involving Minors. SB 659 (Reyes; D-San Bernardino) Multiplies existing penalties for online sales of various products, including spray paint, between five times and 70 times, when the transactions involve a minor by unprecedented amounts. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/5/25; Failed Deadline |
Privacy and Cybersecurity
| Impact Assessments of Automated Decision Systems. AB 1018 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Limits use of automated decision systems (ADS), including by small businesses, which will lead to significant liability and increased costs that will ultimately be borne by consumers. It would also hinder many beneficial uses of ADS, including but not limited to: enabling faster approvals and expanded access to credit and enhancing real-time fraud detection. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| AI Development. AB 1064 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Bans the development and use of certain AI systems intended for use by or on minors, including AI systems that could foreseeably attempt to provide therapy, a minor could develop an attachment to, or that may manipulate a child in dangerous behavior; as well as tools that collect or process biometric data, use scraped images of minors, engage in social scoring, or assess mental state. It is enforced by the Attorney General and private right of action. The bill also prohibits using minors’ data to train or fine-tune one of the covered AI systems. The impact goes far beyond products for minors however, let alone companion chatbots for minors. It also impacts AI tools for adults. Contains vague and ambiguous definitions, unreasonable knowledge standards and unclear compliance burdens that would thwart innovation and put Californians’ privacy at risk — especially children. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Generative Artificial Intelligence: Training Data. AB 412 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Requires a developer that makes a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) system or model available to Californians for use to, among other things, document both the copyrighted materials used to train the system model and the copyright owner of that material. Undercuts California’s status as an AI leader by imposing technically infeasible, unnecessary, and burdensome requirements that disadvantage smaller AI companies and startups. Undermines recently passed legislation with statutory penalties. Causes disclosures of proprietary or otherwise sensitive information, and interference with pending litigation. Oppose. | Senate Judiciary 5/21/25; Failed Deadline |
| Artificial Intelligence Auditors. AB 1405 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Prematurely creates auditing regimes for private sector AI systems instead of encouraging use of more widely used and workable accountability tools, like impact assessments via self-assessments or voluntary third party assessments. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Prohibition on Using Information to Set Competitive Pricing. SB 384 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Effectively bans the use of technology to help set prices or help manage supply levels. Will make it harder for businesses to offer discounts and competitive pricing to their customers. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Automated Decision Systems. SB 420 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Requires impact assessments of automated decision systems (ADS). Fails to adequately focus on only high-risk ADS to the detriment of all industries in the state and will harm the ability of all businesses to use these tools. Oppose. | Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 6/9/25; Failed Deadline |
| Multistakeholder Regulatory Organizations. SB 813 (McNerney; D-Pleasanton) Establishes a new process under which a designated multistakeholder regulatory organization (MRO) is assigned to certify the safety of AI models and applications, raising complex questions about how the proposed system would operate in practice and concerns about the lack of clarity and objective criteria for the MRO process. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/12/25; Failed Deadline. |
| Location Privacy. AB 1355 (Ward; D-San Diego) Seeks to place new restrictions around location data collection and use practices by businesses in California in a manner that will significantly undermine and cause confusion with the California Consumer Privacy Act, which already addresses these policy questions and data privacy concerns. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| Social Media: Warning Labels. AB 56 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Requires covered platforms to periodically display a specified black box warning label informing users of Surgeon General’s advisory. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/17/25 |
| Social Media. AB 2 (Lowenthal; D-Long Beach) Imposes such an extreme and subjective standard of liability on social media platforms that companies would have no choice but to dramatically restrict content or cease operations for kids under 18. Oppose. | Senate Judiciary 5/21/25; Failed Deadline |
| Artificial Intelligence: Defenses. AB 316 (Krell; D-Sacramento) Could be interpreted to prevent a defendant from presenting any evidence related to an artificial intelligence (AI) or automated system, which may be relevant to causation, foreseeability of harm, and the comparative fault of other parties. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Precise Geolocation Information. AB 322 (Ward; D-San Diego) Could create overly burdensome if not infeasible requirements that do not ultimately serve the purpose of preventing the misuse of precise geolocation data. As drafted, the bill risks creating confusion about the scope of current law and, paradoxically, may weaken existing protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Opt-Out Preference Signal. AB 566 (Lowenthal; D-Long Beach) Seeks to mandate a “global opt-out preference setting” for California internet users, allowing them to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their personal data across the many websites they visit. Ignores the complexities and challenges involved in mandating global privacy controls and raises significant implementation issues. The inclusion of “browser engines” like “Blink, Gecko, and WebKit” merely adds additional confusion and is of questionable benefit, even suggesting an end run around the exclusion of “mobile operating systems” and the Governor’s concerns that led to his veto of AB 3048. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Floor 7/15/25 |
| Reporting Mechanism: Child Sexual Abuse Material. AB 1137 (Krell; D-Sacramento) Undermines ongoing compliance efforts and increases audit frequency and penalties, without clear justification. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/7/25; Failed Deadline |
| Artificial Intelligence Technology. SB 11 (Ashby; D-Sacramento) Requires businesses selling or providing access to any AI technology designed to create a digital replica to provide consumers with a warning that any unlawful use of the technology to create a digital replica may result in civil or criminal liability for the user. Imposes heavy-handed penalties of up to $25,000 for each day that the technology is offered to the public with the requisite warning and even suggests that employees can be held civilly or criminally liable for using technology to do their jobs or for business uses of the technology. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Companion Chatbots. SB 243 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Requires companion chatbot operators, including operators of general purpose AI models, to provide unnecessary and burdensome notifications, submit annual reports, and audit their models despite not having the same risks of deception and harm. Includes a private right of action and third party audit requirement. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Sensitive Personal Information. SB 435 (Wahab; D-Hayward) Expands the scope of the California Consumer Privacy Act’s (CCPA) definition of sensitive personal information while ignoring the protections existing law already creates and the law’s careful balance between consumer privacy and the free flow of information. Oppose. | Failed passage in Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 7/16/25; Failed Deadline |
| Elected Officials’ and Judges’ Data. AB 302 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Seeks to facilitate the swift deletion of personal information of elected officials and judges identified by the California Privacy Protection Agency via the data broker deletion mechanism beginning August 1, 2026. Requires any data broker entity receiving a notification that a deletion is required of these individuals’ information to process that deletion within 5 days whereas they currently may process deletion requests within 45 days of receiving a deletion request. Prohibits businesses from retaining information solely used for security and integrity purposes, such as fraud prevention and consumer protection. Concerns include clarifying that the existing exemptions in the Delete Act apply to this new law and providing sufficient time to comply as 5 days is too short, particularly given the potential private right of action included in the bill. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/17/25 |
Product Regulation
| De Facto PFAS Ban. SB 682 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Originally created a de facto ban on the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in all commercial and consumer products, unless Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is petitioned and makes an affirmative determination that the PFAS in a particular product is an unavoidable use. Because of the breadth and scope of PFAS use, including in aerospace, lithium-ion batteries, medical devices, automotive and semiconductors, to name a few, the regulatory program established is unworkable and ultimately will lead to a ban on critically important products or otherwise make certain products less safe, and ultimately drive up prices for consumers. Cost Driver status removed due to June 23, 2025 amendments significantly reducing the types of products to which it applies. Oppose/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Regulating Anti-Aging Cosmetics. AB 728 (Lee; D-San Jose) Treats safe, over-the-counter skincare products like dangerous controlled substances by banning their sale to anyone under 18, thereby burdening retailers with impossible compliance requirements trying to ID children, and sets a troubling precedent for government overreach into personal care choices. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
| Ban on Disposable Battery-Embedded Vapor Inhalation Devices. AB 762 (Irwin; D-Thousand Oaks) Bans disposable nicotine and cannabis vapes, which would increase demand for contraband products. Oppose. | Assembly Business and Professions 4/9/25; Failed Deadline |
| Plastic Microbeads. AB 823 (Boerner; D-Encinitas) Before amendments, the bill would have unnecessarily banned a significant number of cosmetic and cleaning products in 2030 because of its failure to align with European Union provisions on the same product categories. Neutral. | Senate Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Bans Antibacterial Soap. AB 916 (Lee; D-San Jose) Arbitrarily banned antibacterial soaps which could have wide-ranging negative impacts to consumers, immunocompromised individuals, food handlers, and others who depend on effective bacteria-killing products to stop the spread of disease. Oppose. | Assembly Health 3/26/25; Failed Deadline |
| Ultraprocessed Foods. AB 1264 (Gabriel; D-Woodland Hills) Creates a new categorization and stigmatization of foods to be labeled by a single state agency as “ultraprocessed” without sufficient scientific justification that will wrongly dissuade Californians from eating otherwise healthy and nutritious foods. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Chemicals of Concern. SB 754 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles) Requires another new reporting obligation on manufacturers of menstrual products to maintain information about the concentrations of chemicals of concerns without any clear definition, standards, concentration levels or other criteria. Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Appropriations 7/1/25 |
Recycling
| Recycling Claims. AB 473 (Wilson; D-Suisun City) Provides a critical on-ramp for packaging to continue to correctly label things as “recyclable” if they are complying with California’s flagship extended producer responsibility law, SB 54 (Allen). Support. | Assembly Natural Resources 2/18/25; Failed Deadline |
Regulatory Reform
| Small Business Assistance. AB 265 (Caloza; D-Los Angeles) Establishes a state-funded program for purposes of helping small businesses recover from economic or operational disruptions due to local or state emergencies. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Senate Appropriations 7/7/25 |
| Small Business Recovery Act. AB 685 (Solache; D-Lakewood) Authorizes the Office of Small Business Advocate to provide funding and technical assistance to small businesses impacted by the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Merged with AB 265. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Assembly Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact 3/3/25 |
Small Business
| California Small Business Month. ACR 76 (Solache; D-Lakewood) Illuminates the crucial role of small business, serving as the backbone of the world’s fourth-largest economy, promoting innovation and job creation while uplifting communities across the state. Support. | Chapter 101. |
Taxation
| Film Tax Credit. AB 1138 (Zbur; D-Hollywood) More than doubles the State’s Film Tax Credit to $750 million annually that will help to grow and retain jobs in one of California’s signature industries and ultimately strengthen the economy. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Signed—Chapter 27 7/3/25 |
| Tax on Digital Advertising Revenue. AB 796 (Lowenthal; D-Long Beach) Implements a new tax on digital ads. In addition to increasing costs for businesses and in turn consumers, it is likely unconstitutional. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Revenue and Taxation hearing canceled at author’s request 4/28/25 |
| Manufacturing Tax Credit Expansion. SB 587 (Grayson; D-Concord) Expands investment and production in California by expanding the sales and use tax exemption for the purchase of manufacturing and research and development (R&D) equipment. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Work Opportunity Tax Credit. AB 231 (Ta; R-Westminster) Provides a tax credit to businesses who hire previously incarcerated individuals who are re-entering the workforce, reducing costs on businesses and improving opportunities for workers. Support/Cost Cutter 2025. | Held in Assembly Appropriations 5/23/25 |
| Wealth Tax. AB 1428 (Muratsuchi; D-Torrance) Imposes a 0.5 percent tax on the portion of a taxpayer’s income in excess of $10 million in a taxable year, driving tax revenue out of the state, or the cost of which is ultimately passed to consumers. Oppose. | Assembly Revenue and Taxation Suspense File 4/21/25 |
| Tax Credits to Clean Energy Companies. SB 86 (McNerney; D-Pleasanton) Extends and expands the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) program that provides tax credits to clean energy companies to bolster California’s manufacturing sector while advancing the state’s clean energy economy. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Environmental Tax Credits. SB 302 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Removes roadblocks to the state’s energy transition and aligns California’s tax treatment of environmental credits with the federal government and that of a majority of other states. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/17/25 |
| Corporate Tax Increase. SB 573 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles) Originally more than doubled California’s corporate tax rate (to as much as 22.5%) for targeted employers, decreasing California’s business competitiveness and increasing employer costs. Cost Driver status and opposition removed April 3, 2025 due to amendments changing bill to a different subject. Neutral/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Senate Revenue and Taxation 4/2/25 |
| Film Tax Credit. SB 630 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Originally more than doubled the State’s Film Tax Credit to $750 million annually that will help to grow and retain jobs in one of California’s signature industries and ultimately strengthen the economy. Amended to a different subject, June 23, 2025. No Position/Former Cost Cutter 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/15/25 |
Telecommunications
| Telecommunications Infrastructure. AB 470 (McKinnor; D-Inglewood) Streamlines process for telecommunications providers to transition from outdated technology to more modern infrastructure. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/17/25 |
| Broadband Rate Regulation. AB 353 (Boerner; D-Encinitas) Creates a rate regulation around broadband infrastructure, which will lead to reduced investment in broadband and slower internet speeds for Californians. Oppose. | Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications 6/18/25; Failed Deadline |
| Lifeline Broadband Internet Service. SB 716 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles) Requires California Public Utilities Commission to include standalone broadband internet access as a class of lifeline service, among other requirements. CalChamber withdrew opposition based on May 23, 2025 amendments making clarifying changes. Neutral. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Broadband Internet Service Providers. AB 1271 (Bonta; D-Alameda) Duplicative bill requires internet service providers to report information on pricing and speed data to a state agency, even though federal law and regulations already ensure all relevant information needed to make informed choices among broadband providers and service plans is reported and readily available to consumers. Oppose. | Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/14/25; Failed Deadline |
Transportation and Infrastructure
| Laying the Foundations for California’s Advanced Air Mobility Future. AB 431 (Wilson; D-Suisun City) Establishes framework for California’s advanced air mobility sector by directing Caltrans to create a statewide infrastructure plan and provide local jurisdictions with zoning and permitting guidance to pave the way for electric air travel that supports climate goals and regional connectivity. Support. | Senate Transportation 6/11/25; Failed Deadline |
| Tariff Impact Study. SB 263 (Gonzalez; D-Long Beach) Requires the State’s Transportation Agency to conduct a study on the impacts tariffs may have on affordability, employment, tax revenues, port funding, and economic output. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/8/25 |
| Overreaching Rail Mandates that Risk Supply Chains. SB 667 (Archuleta; D-Pico Rivera) Imposes rigid, one-size-fits-all rail mandates such as fixed train length limits and equipment requirements, which threaten supply chain efficiency, increase costs, and likely conflict with federal law. Oppose. | Senate Transportation 4/2/25; Failed Deadline |
Water Supply and Quality
| New Water Quality Permitting Regime. SB 601 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Originally created duplicative permitting obligations and dramatic legal liability requirements for businesses, agriculture, and water and wastewater facilities by granting the water boards broad authority to impose permitting requirements without considering economic impacts of the critical need for housing and recycled water projects. As amended requires new permits for those interacting with a vague category of “nexus waters.” The permit would be subject to prescriptive federal permitting requirements and punitive enforcement measures. Cost Driver tag removed due to removal of the private right of action, but CalChamber remains opposed. Oppose/Former Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Water Quality Permits. AB 1313 (Papan; D-San Mateo) Requires commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities to obtain a new stormwater permit that would be subject to crushing compliance costs and a private right of action. Oppose. | Assembly Inactive File 6/4/25 |
| Undermines Judicial Oversight and Water Rights Protections. AB 1413 (Papan; D-San Mateo) Requires courts to defer to a groundwater sustainability agency’s (GSA) determination of sustainable yield in groundwater adjudications—stripping courts of their ability to independently assess facts, undermining water rights due process, and locking in potentially flawed or unvetted data. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/15/25 |
| Emergency Water Curtailments. AB 263 (Rogers; D-Santa Rosa) Circumvents the State Water Resources Control Board’s process to develop permanent water curtailments. Oppose. | Senate Floor 6/24/25 |
| Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program. AB 269 (Bennett; D-Ventura) Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to develop and administer the Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program (DSCR). This bill would include dam removal projects as additional projects eligible to receive funding under the program. Funding under this program currently is reserved for dam safety projects. Expanding its eligibility to dam removal projects could leave dam safety projects further underfunded. Oppose. | Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife 2/10/25; Failed Deadline |
| Circumvents Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) Process. AB 794 (Gabriel; D-Woodland Hills) Directs State Water Resources Control Board to adopt by emergency regulation a drinking water standard for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Oppose Unless Amended. | Assembly Inactive File 6/12/25 |
| Exempt Water Users from Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). AB 929 (Connolly; D-San Rafael) Prevents groundwater sustainability agencies from imposing fees or pumping restrictions on certain groundwater users. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Floor 7/15/25 |
| Enforcement Authority Against Reservoir Operators. AB 1146 (Papan; D-San Mateo) Authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to issue interim relief orders against reservoir operators if releases are done under “false pretenses.” Neutral. | Senate Appropriations 7/16/25 |
| Water Theft. SB 394 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Enhances penalties for water theft from fire hydrants. Support. | Senate Concurrence 7/10/25 |
| Water Rates. SB 473 (Padilla; D-Chula Vista) Allows flexibility in setting water rates. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
Workers’ Compensation
| Agricultural Workers’ Compensation Presumption. AB 1336 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) Creates workers’ compensation presumption that would require the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) to adjudicate agriculture Cal/OSHA claims and impose a presumption regardless of any causal link between the alleged occupational injury and a violation of any provision of heat-related standards. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/7/25 |
| Increase in Permanent Disability Benefits. SB 555 (Caballero; D-Merced) Imposes indefinite increase in workers’ compensation permanent disability benefits without accompanying reforms to offset resulting costs. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Expands Costly Presumption of Injury. SB 632 (Arreguín; D-Berkeley) Significantly increases workers’ compensation costs for public and private hospitals by presuming certain diseases and injuries are caused by the workplace and establishes an extremely concerning precedent for expanding presumptions into the private sector. Oppose/Cost Driver 2025. | Assembly Insurance 6/16/25; Failed Deadline |
| Bill Review. AB 1048 (Chen; R-Yorba Linda) Inappropriately routes contractual disputes through independent bill review process. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) Report Quality. AB 1923 (Wallis; R-Bermuda Dunes) Requires Division of Workers’ Compensation to implement mechanisms to improve QME report quality in the workers’ compensation system. Support. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 6/30/25 |
| Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund (SIBTF). AB 1329 (Ortega; D-San Leandro) Makes changes to SIBTF which are insufficient to adequately address the scope of the problems with the SIBTF and the impact the fund will have both on employers and the state. Oppose Unless Amended. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Workers’ Compensation Conflicts of Interest. AB 1398 (Valencia; D-Anaheim) Improves ability of the Division of Workers’ Compensation to eliminate fraud in the workers’ compensation system by requiring disclosures about financial interests in third parties to whom a claim for payment is presented. Support. | Senate Appropriations 7/9/25 |
| Workers’ Compensation Fraud. SB 536 (Archuleta; D-Pico Rivera) Allows private insurers to confirm payroll data received from employers for purposes of investigating fraud in the workers’ compensation system. Support. | Assembly Insurance 6/16/25; Failed Deadline |
| Medical-Legal Fee Schedule. SB 668 (Hurtado; D-Bakersfield) Requires state Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) to biannually increase the rate of reimbursements under the medical legal fee schedule, eliminating regulatory discretion and resulting in higher costs for employers. Oppose. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/5/25; Failed Deadline |
| Prosecution of Workers’ Compensation Fraud. SB 847 (Reyes; D-San Bernardino) Creates presumption that property transferred by an entity being investigated for workers’ compensation fraud is an improper transfer. Support. | Assembly Appropriations 7/16/25 |
Workplace Safety
| Face Coverings. AB 596 (McKinnor; D-Inglewood) Prohibits any employers from prohibiting an employee from wearing a face mask unless a safety hazard was created by the covering — regardless of whether the face mask materially interferes with the job duties of the employee. Oppose. | Senate Floor 6/24/25 |
| Advisory Committee Regarding Hiring Issues at Cal/OSHA. AB 694 (McKinnor; D-Inglewood) Creates an advisory committee of various stakeholders to review hiring issues at Cal/OSHA. Opposition removed once an employer-side stakeholder was added to the committee. Neutral. | Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/14/25 |
