CA SB 1081
in committeeWaste discharge requirements: minimum penalties: exception: publicly owned treatment works.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
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Quick answers
Did CA SB 1081 pass?
Not yet. CA SB 1081 is in committee and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2026-05-14): May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
What is CA SB 1081 about?
Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality and prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (act) and the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit program. The act requires mandatory minimum penalties to be assessed for serious violations, as defined, relating to waste discharge requirements, and for certain violations relating to waste discharge requirements and reports whenever there are 4 or more violations in a period of 6 consecutive months, except as provided. The act authorizes the state board or regional board, in lieu of assessing all or a portion of those mandatory minimum penalties against a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community, to instead require the publicly owned treatment works to spend an equivalent amount towards the completion of a compliance project proposed by the publicly owned treatment works if the state board or regional board make specified findings. The act defines "a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community" for these purposes to mean a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 20,000 persons or fewer or a rural county, with a financial hardship as determined by the state board after consideration of specified factors. This bill would expand the authorization for the state board or regional board to require funding of a compliance project in lieu of the otherwise mandatory penalty to apply to a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 3,000 persons or fewer, with a financial hardship, determined by the state board, within the 10 years preceding the assessment of the penalty.
Who sponsors CA SB 1081?
Laird is the primary sponsor of CA SB 1081.
Description
Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality and prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (act) and the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit program. The act requires mandatory minimum penalties to be assessed for serious violations, as defined, relating to waste discharge requirements, and for certain violations relating to waste discharge requirements and reports whenever there are 4 or more violations in a period of 6 consecutive months, except as provided. The act authorizes the state board or regional board, in lieu of assessing all or a portion of those mandatory minimum penalties against a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community, to instead require the publicly owned treatment works to spend an equivalent amount towards the completion of a compliance project proposed by the publicly owned treatment works if the state board or regional board make specified findings. The act defines "a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community" for these purposes to mean a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 20,000 persons or fewer or a rural county, with a financial hardship as determined by the state board after consideration of specified factors. This bill would expand the authorization for the state board or regional board to require funding of a compliance project in lieu of the otherwise mandatory penalty to apply to a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 3,000 persons or fewer, with a financial hardship, determined by the state board, within the 10 years preceding the assessment of the penalty.
- Introduced
- 2026-02-13
- Latest action
- 2026-05-14 — May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Lairdauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-05-14
May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
2026-05-08
Set for hearing May 14.
2026-04-27
April 27 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2026-04-17
Set for hearing April 27.
2026-04-16
April 20 hearing postponed by committee.
2026-04-14
Set for hearing April 20.
2026-04-09
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2026-04-08
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3792.) (April 8).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-03-10
Set for hearing April 8.
2026-02-26
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
referral-committee
2026-02-17
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 16.
2026-02-13
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
Versions
Documents
- application/pdf
- application/pdf
- text/html
- application/pdf(no extracted text yet)
- application/pdf(no extracted text yet)
Votes
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2026-04-08 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Blakespear: yes
- Allen: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Dahle: other
Placed on suspense file
2026-04-27 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Richardson: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
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