Bill Commons

CA AB 1865

in committee

Text message advertisements.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 1865 pass?

Not yet. CA AB 1865 is in committee and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2026-05-14): In committee: Held under submission.

What is CA AB 1865 about?

Existing law generally prohibits a person, entity conducting business, candidate, or political committee in this state from transmitting, or causing to be transmitted, a text message advertisement to specified devices. Existing law excepts from this prohibition specific text message advertisements, including a text message advertisement transmitted by a business, candidate, or political committee that has an existing relationship with the subscriber if the subscriber is offered an option not to receive text messages from that business, candidate, or political committee. Existing law defines terms for these purposes, including "text message advertisement." Existing law enforces these prohibitions pursuant to the provisions related to unfair competition and makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit an allowed text message advertisement from being transmitted to a recipient between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., regardless of whether the recipient consented to receiving a text message advertisement. The bill would require a sender to adjust message timing to Pacific standard time. The bill would authorize the recipient of a text message advertisement in violation of this timing prohibition to bring a civil action against a transmitter who knew, or should have known, the text message advertisement violated this prohibition. The bill would also authorize a public prosecutor or the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these provisions for specified remedies. The bill would, notwithstanding any other law, exclude a violation of this prohibition from being a crime.

Who sponsors CA AB 1865?

Bauer-Kahan is the primary sponsor of CA AB 1865.

Description

Existing law generally prohibits a person, entity conducting business, candidate, or political committee in this state from transmitting, or causing to be transmitted, a text message advertisement to specified devices. Existing law excepts from this prohibition specific text message advertisements, including a text message advertisement transmitted by a business, candidate, or political committee that has an existing relationship with the subscriber if the subscriber is offered an option not to receive text messages from that business, candidate, or political committee. Existing law defines terms for these purposes, including "text message advertisement." Existing law enforces these prohibitions pursuant to the provisions related to unfair competition and makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit an allowed text message advertisement from being transmitted to a recipient between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., regardless of whether the recipient consented to receiving a text message advertisement. The bill would require a sender to adjust message timing to Pacific standard time. The bill would authorize the recipient of a text message advertisement in violation of this timing prohibition to bring a civil action against a transmitter who knew, or should have known, the text message advertisement violated this prohibition. The bill would also authorize a public prosecutor or the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these provisions for specified remedies. The bill would, notwithstanding any other law, exclude a violation of this prohibition from being a crime.

Introduced
2026-03-17
Latest action
2026-05-14 — In committee: Held under submission.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Bauer-Kahanauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-05-14

    In committee: Held under submission.

  2. 2026-05-06

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  3. 2026-04-22

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  4. 2026-03-25

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  5. 2026-03-18

    Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.

    referral-committee

  6. 2026-03-17

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  7. 2026-02-23

    Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.

    referral-committee

  8. 2026-02-12

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.

  9. 2026-02-11

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]

    2026-03-25 · pass · 15-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Patterson: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Irwin: yes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2026-04-21 · pass · 10-1

    Member-level votes (12)
    • Zbur: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Dixon: no
    • Sanchez: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1865

Attribution

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

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