CA SB 238
in committeeWorkplace surveillance tools.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
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Quick answers
Did CA SB 238 pass?
Not yet. CA SB 238 is in committee and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2026-07-01): July 1 set for second hearing canceled at the request of author.
What is CA SB 238 about?
Existing law establishes the Department of Industrial Relations in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to administer and enforce various laws relating to employment and working conditions. This bill would require a business, as defined, to annually provide a notice to the department of all the workplace surveillance tools the employer is using in the workplace. The bill would require the notice to include, among other information, a list of the workplace surveillance tools being used that surveil employees and the categories of information being collected on employees by the workplace surveillance. The bill would also require a business to send the notice to employees and any union that represents employees of the business. The bill would make a business that violates these provisions subject to a civil penalty of $500 per violation. This bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2029, compiling the above-described notices provided by businesses. The bill would require that the report include, among other requirements, a breakdown of notices by industry type.
Who sponsors CA SB 238?
Smallwood-Cuevas is the primary sponsor of CA SB 238.
Description
Existing law establishes the Department of Industrial Relations in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to administer and enforce various laws relating to employment and working conditions. This bill would require a business, as defined, to annually provide a notice to the department of all the workplace surveillance tools the employer is using in the workplace. The bill would require the notice to include, among other information, a list of the workplace surveillance tools being used that surveil employees and the categories of information being collected on employees by the workplace surveillance. The bill would also require a business to send the notice to employees and any union that represents employees of the business. The bill would make a business that violates these provisions subject to a civil penalty of $500 per violation. This bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2029, compiling the above-described notices provided by businesses. The bill would require that the report include, among other requirements, a breakdown of notices by industry type.
- Introduced
- 2025-01-29
- Latest action
- 2026-07-01 — July 1 set for second hearing canceled at the request of author.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Smallwood-Cuevasauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-07-01
July 1 set for second hearing canceled at the request of author.
2026-06-11
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-16
July 16 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-07-14
Joint Rule 62(a) suspended.
2025-07-09
July 8 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-06-26
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-06-09
Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and P. & C.P.
referral-committee
2025-06-04
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2025-06-03
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 27. Noes 10. Page 1473.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1192.) (May 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-23
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-20
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-19
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-09
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-01
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-04-30
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 2. Page 938.) (April 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-23
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1. Page 870.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-09
Set for hearing April 29 in JUD. pending receipt.
2025-04-04
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-04-02
Re-referred to Coms. on L., P.E. & R. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-03-26
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-02-05
Referred to Com. on RLS.
referral-committee
2025-01-30
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 1.
2025-01-29
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-04-23 · pass · 4-1
Member-level votes (5)
- Cortese: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Laird: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Strickland: no
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 11-2
Member-level votes (13)
- Arreguín: yes
- Allen: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Stern: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Valladares: no
- Niello: no
Placed on suspense file
2025-05-19 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cabaldon: other
- Dahle: other
Do pass
2025-05-23 · pass · 5-1
Member-level votes (7)
- Caballero: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Seyarto: no
- Dahle: other
3rd Reading SB238 Smallwood-Cuevas
2025-06-03 · pass · 27-10
Member-level votes (40)
- Gonzalez: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Becker: yes
- Laird: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Stern: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Allen: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Limón: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Valladares: no
- Choi: no
- Seyarto: no
- Niello: no
- Strickland: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Grove: no
- Dahle: no
- Jones: no
- Reyes: other
- Grayson: other
- Ashby: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Privacy and Consumer Protection]
2025-06-25 · pass · 5-1
Member-level votes (7)
- Ward: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Lee: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Flora: no
- Chen: 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
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