Bill Commons

CA SB 281

enacted

Pleas: immigration advisement.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did CA SB 281 pass?

Yes. CA SB 281 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-12. Latest recorded action (2025-10-12): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 666, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA SB 281 about?

Existing law requires the court, prior to the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to advise the defendant that if they are not a citizen, conviction of the crime charged may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization. After January 1, 1978, if the court fails to advise the defendant, as required, and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States, the court, on the defendant's motion, is required to vacate the judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty. This bill would require the court to give the above-described advisement verbatim and would clarify the advisement to state that if the defendant is not a citizen of the United States, conviction may result in the specified immigration consequences. The bill would state that for a plea accepted prior to January 1, 2026, it is not the intent of the Legislature that a court's failure to provide the advisement verbatim requires vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or constitutes grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid, as specified.

Who sponsors CA SB 281?

Pérez is the primary sponsor of CA SB 281, joined by 4 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law requires the court, prior to the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to advise the defendant that if they are not a citizen, conviction of the crime charged may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization. After January 1, 1978, if the court fails to advise the defendant, as required, and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States, the court, on the defendant's motion, is required to vacate the judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty. This bill would require the court to give the above-described advisement verbatim and would clarify the advisement to state that if the defendant is not a citizen of the United States, conviction may result in the specified immigration consequences. The bill would state that for a plea accepted prior to January 1, 2026, it is not the intent of the Legislature that a court's failure to provide the advisement verbatim requires vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or constitutes grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid, as specified.

Introduced
2025-02-05
Latest action
2025-10-12 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 666, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Pérezauthor
  • Caballerocoauthor
  • Gabrielcoauthor
  • Garciacoauthor
  • Solachecoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-05

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    introduction,reading-1,referral-committee

  2. 2025-02-06

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 8.

  3. 2025-02-14

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-07

    Set for hearing March 25.

  5. 2025-03-25

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 533.) (March 25).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  6. 2025-03-26

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  7. 2025-05-28

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1291.) Ordered to the Assembly.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  8. 2025-05-28

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

    reading-1

  9. 2025-06-05

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  10. 2025-06-17

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 2.) (June 17).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  11. 2025-06-18

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  12. 2025-07-15

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  13. 2025-07-15

    Read third time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-3

  14. 2025-08-28

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 53. Noes 18. Page 2764.) Ordered to the Senate.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  15. 2025-08-28

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  16. 2025-09-03

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2424.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  17. 2025-09-09

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  18. 2025-10-12

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  19. 2025-10-12

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 666, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 02/05/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-05Compare
  • 07/15/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-07-15Compare
  • 09/05/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-05Compare
  • 10/12/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-12Compare
  • SB281Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass

    2025-03-25 · pass · 5-1

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Seyarto: no

  • 3rd Reading

    2025-05-28 · pass · 28-10

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

  • Do pass.

    2025-06-17 · pass · 7-2

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Schultz: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Lackey: no
    • Alanis: no

  • SB 281 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Gabriel

    2025-08-28 · pass · 53-18

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

  • Unfinished Business SB281 Pérez et al. Concurrence

    2025-09-03 · pass · 30-10

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

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB281

Attribution

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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