CA AB 1859

in committee

Public works.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Existing law requires that, except as specified, not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages be paid to workers employed on public works. Existing law defines "public works," for the purposes of regulating public works contracts as, among other things, construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work done under contract and paid for, in whole or in part, out of public funds. Existing law makes any officer, agent, or representative of the state or of any political subdivision who willfully violates specified provisions, including providing notice of certain public works projects, as specified, to the Department of Industrial Relations, guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law requires the Labor Commissioner to investigate allegations that a contractor or subcontractor violated the law regulating public works projects, including the payment of prevailing wages. Existing law requires each contractor and subcontractor on a public works project to keep accurate payroll records, showing the name, address, social security number, work classification, straight time and overtime hours worked each day and week, and the actual per diem wages paid to each journeyman, apprentice, worker, or other employee employed by the contractor or subcontractor in connection with the public work. This bill would require an awarding body or owner to give reasonable access, as defined, to representatives of a joint-labor management committee in order to monitor compliance with the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. The bill would authorize an awarding body, owner, contractor, or subcontractor to deny or revoke access to the committee's representative if the representative fails or refuses to comply with job site safety requirements, as specified. The bill would authorize the committee to bring an action against an awarding body, contractor, or subcontractor that willfully denies the committee's representative reasonable access. The bill would authorize the court to award a civil penalty, not to exceed $1,000, and would require the court to award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Introduced: 2026-05-14
Status date: —
Latest action: 2026-07-01 — From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 2.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Publicworks

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2026-02-11
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2026-02-12
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
2026-02-23
Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and JUD.
referral-committee
2026-03-19
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-04-08
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-04-22
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
referral-committee
2026-05-14
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 14).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage
2026-05-18
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2026-05-19
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-05-27
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 60. Noes 14.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-05-28
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2026-06-10
Referred to Coms. on L., P.E. & R. and JUD.
referral-committee
2026-06-24
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-07-01
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 2.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

Versions

02/11/26 - Introduced — 2026-02-11Compare
05/18/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-05-18Compare
AB1859Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2026-03-18 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Lee: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Chen: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Ortega: yes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-04-07 · pass · 9-3
Member-level votes (12)
- Papan: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Lee: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Macedo: no
- Sanchez: no
- Dixon: no
Do pass as amended.
2026-05-14 · pass · 11-3
Member-level votes (15)
- Krell: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Fong: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Tangipa: no
- Dixon: no
- Hoover: no
- Ta: other
AB 1859 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
2026-05-28 · pass · 60-14
Member-level votes (80)
- Bennett: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Davies: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Papan: yes
- Fong: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Hart: yes
- Addis: yes
- Bains: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Ward: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Flora: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Chen: yes
- Soria: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Lee: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Berman: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Haney: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Krell: yes
- Patel: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Solache: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Johnson: no
- Hoover: no
- Macedo: no
- DeMaio: no
- Dixon: no
- Wallis: no
- Jeff Gonzalez: no
- Tangipa: no
- Hadwick: no
- Sanchez: no
- Ávila Farías: no
- Alanis: no
- Ellis: no
- Patterson: no
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
- Castillo: other
- Gallagher: other
- Lackey: other
- Ramos: other
- Ta: other
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2026-06-24 · pass · 4-1
Member-level votes (5)
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Strickland: no
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-06-30 · pass · 10-2
Member-level votes (13)
- Wahab: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Allen: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Valladares: no
- Niello: no
- Wiener: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1859

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

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