Bill Commons

CA SB 542

enacted

Tribal gaming: compact ratification.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

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Quick answers

Did CA SB 542 pass?

Yes. CA SB 542 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-09-14): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 224, Statutes of 2026.

What is CA SB 542 about?

Existing federal law, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude those compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments to tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the 2nd amendment to the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians executed on August 4, 2026. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to this amended compact are not projects for the purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Who sponsors CA SB 542?

Limón is the primary sponsor of CA SB 542.

Description

Existing federal law, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude those compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments to tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the 2nd amendment to the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians executed on August 4, 2026. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to this amended compact are not projects for the purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Introduced
2025-02-20
Latest action
2026-09-14 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 224, Statutes of 2026.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Limónauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-09-14

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 224, Statutes of 2026.

    became-law

  2. 2026-09-14

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  3. 2026-08-30

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m.

  4. 2026-08-25

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

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

  5. 2026-08-25

    Urgency clause adopted.

    amendment-passage,passage

  6. 2026-08-25

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

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

  7. 2026-08-25

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5792.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  8. 2026-08-24

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  9. 2026-08-24

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.

    amendment-passage,passage,reading-1,reading-3

  10. 2026-08-24

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6382.) Ordered to the Senate.

    amendment-passage,passage,reading-1,reading-3

  11. 2026-08-17

    Read third time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-3

  12. 2026-08-17

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  13. 2026-08-10

    From inactive file.

  14. 2026-08-10

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  15. 2026-08-06

    Notice of intention to remove from inactive file given by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry.

  16. 2025-09-12

    Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry.

  17. 2025-09-05

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  18. 2025-09-05

    Assembly Rule 69(b)(1) suspended.

  19. 2025-09-05

    Read third time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-3

  20. 2025-09-03

    (Corrected September 4).

  21. 2025-09-03

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  22. 2025-09-02

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  23. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).

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

  24. 2025-08-20

    August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  25. 2025-07-15

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  26. 2025-07-08

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E.M. (Ayes 8. Noes 3.) (July 7). Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

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

  27. 2025-07-08

    Coauthors revised.

  28. 2025-06-09

    Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and E.M.

    referral-committee

  29. 2025-06-04

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

    reading-1

  30. 2025-06-03

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 11. Page 1465.) Ordered to the Assembly.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  31. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  32. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1203.) (May 23).

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

  33. 2025-05-23

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  34. 2025-05-16

    Set for hearing May 23.

  35. 2025-05-12

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  36. 2025-05-02

    Set for hearing May 12.

  37. 2025-04-28

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  38. 2025-04-24

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 2. Page 839.) (April 22).

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

  39. 2025-04-04

    Set for hearing April 22.

  40. 2025-03-26

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  41. 2025-03-05

    Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

    referral-committee

  42. 2025-02-21

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.

  43. 2025-02-20

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

    introduction,reading-1,referral-committee

Versions

  • 02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
  • 03/26/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-03-26Compare
  • 04/28/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-04-28Compare
  • 05/23/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-23Compare
  • 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-09-02Compare
  • 09/05/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-09-05Compare
  • 08/17/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-08-17Compare
  • 08/27/26 - Enrolled — 2026-08-27Compare
  • 09/14/26 - Chaptered — 2026-09-14Compare
  • SB542Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-04-22 · pass · 4-2

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Limón: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Grove: no
    • Seyarto: no
    • Hurtado: other

  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-05-12 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Caballero: yes

  • Do pass as amended

    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

    2025-06-03 · pass · 28-11

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Grayson: 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
    • Hurtado: no
    • Strickland: no
    • Ochoa Bogh: no
    • Alvarado-Gil: no
    • Grove: no
    • Dahle: no
    • Jones: no
    • Reyes: other

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Emergency Management]

    2025-07-07 · pass · 8-3

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

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

    2025-07-14 · pass · 5-2

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Bains: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Hadwick: no
    • DeMaio: no

  • Do pass as amended.

    2025-08-29 · pass · 11-4

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Sanchez: no
    • Ta: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Dixon: no

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB542

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-17T07:00:41.322955Z

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