Bill Commons

CA SB 791

vetoed

Vehicle dealers: document processing charge.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did CA SB 791 pass?

No. CA SB 791 passed the legislature but was vetoed on 2026-03-02. Latest recorded action (2026-03-02): Veto sustained.

What is CA SB 791 about?

Existing law authorizes a dealer to charge the purchaser or lessee of a vehicle a document processing charge for the preparation and processing of documents, disclosures, and titling, registration, and information security obligations imposed by state and federal law. Existing law authorizes a dealer that has a contractual agreement with the Department of Motor Vehicles to be a private industry partner to set the document processing charge at up to $85 and authorizes all other dealers to set the document processing charge at up to $70. This bill would, until January 1, 2031, subject to specified requirements, authorize a dealer to charge a document processing charge that exceeds those amounts if the charge does not exceed 1% of the total price of the vehicle and does not exceed $260. The bill would exempt the sale of vehicles to the State of California and any local governmental entity from these provisions. The bill would make a conforming change.

Who sponsors CA SB 791?

Cortese is the primary sponsor of CA SB 791, joined by 7 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law authorizes a dealer to charge the purchaser or lessee of a vehicle a document processing charge for the preparation and processing of documents, disclosures, and titling, registration, and information security obligations imposed by state and federal law. Existing law authorizes a dealer that has a contractual agreement with the Department of Motor Vehicles to be a private industry partner to set the document processing charge at up to $85 and authorizes all other dealers to set the document processing charge at up to $70. This bill would, until January 1, 2031, subject to specified requirements, authorize a dealer to charge a document processing charge that exceeds those amounts if the charge does not exceed 1% of the total price of the vehicle and does not exceed $260. The bill would exempt the sale of vehicles to the State of California and any local governmental entity from these provisions. The bill would make a conforming change.

Introduced
2025-02-21
Latest action
2026-03-02 — Veto sustained.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Corteseauthor
  • Archuletacoauthor
  • Ashbycoauthor
  • Dahlecoauthor
  • Gonzalezcoauthor
  • Stricklandcoauthor
  • Chencoauthor
  • Floracoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-21

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    introduction,referral-committee

  2. 2025-02-24

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  3. 2025-02-24

    Read first time.

    reading-1

  4. 2025-03-12

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

    referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-24

    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

  6. 2025-04-02

    Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-08

    Set for hearing April 22.

  8. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on RLS. (Ayes 12. Noes 1. Page 843.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

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

  9. 2025-04-30

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  10. 2025-05-06

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  11. 2025-05-07

    Ordered to second reading.

    reading-1,reading-2

  12. 2025-05-07

    Withdrawn from committee.

    withdrawal

  13. 2025-05-08

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  14. 2025-06-03

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 1. Page 1457.) Ordered to the Assembly.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  15. 2025-06-04

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

    reading-1

  16. 2025-06-09

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

    referral-committee

  17. 2025-07-03

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

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

  18. 2025-07-15

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  19. 2025-08-20

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

  20. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (August 29).

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

  21. 2025-09-02

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  22. 2025-09-03

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  23. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 60. Noes 3. Page 3010.) Ordered to the Senate.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  24. 2025-09-08

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  25. 2025-09-10

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2830.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

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

  26. 2025-09-22

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.

    executive-receipt

  27. 2025-10-13

    Vetoed by the Governor.

    executive-veto

  28. 2025-10-13

    In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

  29. 2026-03-02

    Stricken from file.

  30. 2026-03-02

    Veto sustained.

Versions

  • 02/21/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-21Compare
  • 03/24/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-03-24Compare
  • 05/06/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-06Compare
  • 07/03/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-07-03Compare
  • 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-09-02Compare
  • 09/13/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-13Compare
  • SB791Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Rules]

    2025-04-22 · pass · 12-1

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Blakespear: no
    • Menjivar: other
    • Seyarto: other

  • 3rd Reading SB791 Cortese et al.

    2025-06-03 · pass · 29-1

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

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

    2025-07-14 · pass · 11-0

    Member-level votes (16)
    • Hoover: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Rogers: other
    • Ahrens: other
    • Lowenthal: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Harabedian: other

  • Do pass as amended.

    2025-08-29 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Sanchez: other
    • Ta: other
    • Dixon: other

  • SB 791 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Wilson

    2025-09-08 · pass · 60-3

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Lee: no
    • Irwin: no
    • Boerner: no
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Arambula: other
    • Connolly: other
    • Muratsuchi: other
    • Bauer-Kahan: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Ortega: other
    • Patel: other
    • Rogers: other
    • Schiavo: other
    • Haney: other
    • Garcia: other
    • Harabedian: other
    • McKinnor: other
    • Bains: other
    • DeMaio: other

  • Unfinished Business SB791 Cortese et al. Concurrence

    2025-09-10 · pass · 37-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Umberg: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Niello: other
    • Blakespear: other
    • Menjivar: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB791

Attribution

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

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

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