Bill Commons

CA AB 738

vetoed

Energy: building standards: photovoltaic requirements.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 738 pass?

No. CA AB 738 passed the legislature but was vetoed on 2026-01-22. Latest recorded action (2026-01-22): Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

What is CA AB 738 about?

Existing law authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to prescribe, by regulation, lighting, insulation, climate control system, and other building design and construction standards that increase efficiency in the use of energy and water for new residential and new nonresidential buildings, and energy and water conservation design standards for new residential and new nonresidential buildings. Pursuant to this authority, the commission has adopted regulations requiring solar-ready buildings and for the installation of photovoltaic systems meeting certain requirements for low-rise residential buildings built on or after January 1, 2020. This bill would, until January 1, 2028, require residential construction intended to repair, restore, or replace a residential building damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in an area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor to comply only with the requirements regarding photovoltaic systems pursuant to those regulations, if any, that were in effect at the time the damaged or destroyed building was originally constructed and would prohibit that construction from being required to comply with any additional or conflicting photovoltaic system requirements in effect at the time of repair, restoration, or replacement. The bill would only apply to the construction of a building if certain conditions are met with respect to the building owner's income and insurance coverage and to the location and square footage of the construction. Because a local agency would be required to determine whether any older applicable photovoltaic requirements are met, 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.

Who sponsors CA AB 738?

Tangipa is the primary sponsor of CA AB 738, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to prescribe, by regulation, lighting, insulation, climate control system, and other building design and construction standards that increase efficiency in the use of energy and water for new residential and new nonresidential buildings, and energy and water conservation design standards for new residential and new nonresidential buildings. Pursuant to this authority, the commission has adopted regulations requiring solar-ready buildings and for the installation of photovoltaic systems meeting certain requirements for low-rise residential buildings built on or after January 1, 2020. This bill would, until January 1, 2028, require residential construction intended to repair, restore, or replace a residential building damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in an area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor to comply only with the requirements regarding photovoltaic systems pursuant to those regulations, if any, that were in effect at the time the damaged or destroyed building was originally constructed and would prohibit that construction from being required to comply with any additional or conflicting photovoltaic system requirements in effect at the time of repair, restoration, or replacement. The bill would only apply to the construction of a building if certain conditions are met with respect to the building owner's income and insurance coverage and to the location and square footage of the construction. Because a local agency would be required to determine whether any older applicable photovoltaic requirements are met, 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
2025-04-08
Latest action
2026-01-22 — Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
Bill type
bill
Last updated

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Tangipaauthor
  • Pattersonauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-18

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-02-19

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  3. 2025-03-03

    Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-04-08

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (April 7).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  5. 2025-04-09

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  6. 2025-04-10

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  8. 2025-04-24

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  9. 2025-05-19

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 56. Noes 3. Page 1589.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  10. 2025-05-20

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

    reading-1,referral-committee

  11. 2025-05-28

    Referred to Com. on E., U & C.

    referral-committee

  12. 2025-07-08

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 1.) (July 7). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  13. 2025-08-19

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  14. 2025-08-20

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  15. 2025-09-11

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 34. Noes 3. Page 2919.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  16. 2025-09-12

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

    committee-passage

  17. 2025-09-23

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  18. 2025-10-06

    Vetoed by Governor.

    executive-veto

  19. 2025-10-06

    Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

  20. 2026-01-22

    Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

    veto-override-failure

Versions

Documents

Votes

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

    2025-04-07 · pass · 10-1

    Member-level votes (14)
    • Alanis: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Garcia: no
    • Pellerin: other
    • Zbur: other
    • Kalra: other
  • Do pass.

    2025-04-23 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hart: other
  • AB 738 Tangipa Assembly Third Reading

    2025-05-19 · pass · 56-3

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Solache: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Rogers: no
    • Garcia: no
    • Boerner: no
    • Kalra: other
    • Ramos: other
    • Pellerin: other
    • Lee: other
    • Schultz: other
    • Haney: other
    • Gabriel: other
    • Dixon: other
    • Bennett: other
    • Bonta: other
    • Addis: other
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Jackson: other
    • Hart: other
    • Caloza: other
    • Papan: other
    • Calderon: other
    • Flora: other
    • Irwin: other
    • Ortega: other
  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-07-07 · pass · 14-1

    Member-level votes (17)
    • Limón: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Stern: no
    • Allen: other
    • Dahle: other
  • 3rd Reading AB738 Tangipa et al. By Grove

    2025-09-11 · pass · 34-3

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Valladares: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Allen: no
    • Stern: no
    • Wiener: no
    • Blakespear: other
    • Cabaldon: other
    • Arreguín: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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 738. 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.