Bill Commons

CA AB 521

enacted

Contractors State License Board: bond deposits: liability for legal fees and costs.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Follow this bill’s action updates (Atom)

Subscribe in a feed reader. The feed covers recorded actions from the last 30 days; Bill Commons may record an action after it happened at the legislature.

Quick answers

Did CA AB 521 pass?

Yes. CA AB 521 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2025-10-03): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 265, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 521 about?

Existing law, the Contractors State License Law, establishes the Contractors State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of contractors. Existing law requires the board, with the approval of the Director of Consumer Affairs, to appoint a registrar of contractors to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the board. Existing law requires a licensee who is subject to a bonding provision under the law to maintain a bond as executed by an admitted surety insurer or as deposited with the registrar, as specified. Prior existing law authorized certain deposits to be given instead of the bond, as specified. Existing law requires all alternatives in lieu of a bond that had been filed with the registrar to be replaced for a surety bond or the deposit of lawful money or a cashier's check, as specified, by January 1, 2020. Existing law prohibits the board from charging legal fees against those deposits, as specified. This bill would exempt the board from liability for legal fees or costs in an action against any deposit described above, regardless of when it was filed with the registrar.

Who sponsors CA AB 521?

Carrillo is the primary sponsor of CA AB 521.

Description

Existing law, the Contractors State License Law, establishes the Contractors State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of contractors. Existing law requires the board, with the approval of the Director of Consumer Affairs, to appoint a registrar of contractors to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the board. Existing law requires a licensee who is subject to a bonding provision under the law to maintain a bond as executed by an admitted surety insurer or as deposited with the registrar, as specified. Prior existing law authorized certain deposits to be given instead of the bond, as specified. Existing law requires all alternatives in lieu of a bond that had been filed with the registrar to be replaced for a surety bond or the deposit of lawful money or a cashier's check, as specified, by January 1, 2020. Existing law prohibits the board from charging legal fees against those deposits, as specified. This bill would exempt the board from liability for legal fees or costs in an action against any deposit described above, regardless of when it was filed with the registrar.

Introduced
—
Latest action
2025-10-03 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 265, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Carrilloauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2025-10-03

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 265, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

  2. 2025-10-03

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  3. 2025-09-02

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  4. 2025-08-26

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

    committee-passage

  5. 2025-08-25

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2250.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  6. 2025-08-20

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  7. 2025-08-19

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  8. 2025-07-09

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  9. 2025-06-25

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  10. 2025-06-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 9). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

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

  11. 2025-05-14

    Referred to Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and JUD.

    referral-committee

  12. 2025-05-01

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  13. 2025-05-01

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 1386.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  14. 2025-04-24

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  15. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  16. 2025-04-08

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  17. 2025-04-01

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

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

  18. 2025-02-24

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

    referral-committee

  19. 2025-02-11

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 13.

  20. 2025-02-10

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-01 · pass · 17-0

    Member-level votes (18)
    • Haney: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: other

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-08 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (12)
    • Dixon: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Stefani: yes

  • Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

    2025-04-23 · pass · 15-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Dixon: yes

  • AB 521 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day

    2025-05-01 · pass · 76-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Bains: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • McKinnor: other
    • Papan: other
    • Chen: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-06-09 · pass · 8-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Grayson: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Weber Pierson: other
    • Menjivar: other
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-06-24 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (13)
    • Niello: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Valladares: other

  • Consent Calendar 2nd

    2025-08-25 · pass · 37-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Reyes: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Hurtado: other
    • Alvarado-Gil: other
    • Rubio: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB521

Attribution

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

Session-wide evidence can include changes to other bills:

Bulk imports for this sessionSession dates and activity

Use this data

Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=CA&identifier=AB 521. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.

Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.
  • Some documents have no extracted text yet, so version comparison may be limited.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.