AB 1875: Dissolution of marriage. - California

08/21/26 - Enrolled → AB1875 · 1 edit

MINOR

This diff represents a change in document format rather than a substantive policy change. The bill text moved from an official enrolled legislative document (with clerk signatures, page numbers, and governor's approval block) to a web page rendering of the same enrolled version. All substantive provisions of AB 1875 remain identical between the two versions.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from an official enrolled document layout (with page headers, clerk/governor signature blocks, and legislative counsel digest in a specific format) to a web page display with navigation menus, metadata fields, and a different typographic structure. No changes to the actual legal provisions were made.

08/04/26 - Amended Senate → 08/21/26 - Enrolled · 2 edits · Aug 21, 2026

MINOR

The transition from the Amended Senate version to the Enrolled version of AB 1875 is primarily a formatting and cleanup change associated with the bill's final passage. The only substantive textual correction is the removal of a duplicated word ('exists, exists') in Section 2339(b)(2), which clarified the stipulation requirement for reducing or waiving the six-month dissolution waiting period.

TECHNICAL

In Section 2339(b)(2), the phrase 'Both parties have stipulated that good cause exists, exists and the court finds good cause' was corrected to 'Both parties have stipulated that good cause exists and the court finds good cause,' removing a duplicated word that appeared to be a drafting error.

All legislative history headers (amendment dates, coauthor lists, vote information) were removed and replaced with standard enrolled bill formatting including passage dates (Assembly August 19, Senate August 17), Governor receipt block, and approval signature line.

05/28/26 - Amended Senate → 08/04/26 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Aug 4, 2026

MODERATE

The primary substantive change is the addition of four Senate coauthors (Alvarado-Gil, Rubio, Wahab, and Weber Pierson), signaling expanded legislative support for the bill. The remaining changes are formatting corrections, including fixing a duplicated word in the summary section and reorganizing the placement of the vote/appropriation language. A minor drafting error appears to have been introduced where the word 'exists' is duplicated in Section 2339(b)(2).

SCOPE

Four Senate coauthors were added: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Rubio, Wahab, and Weber Pierson, indicating broader cross-chamber support for the bill.

TECHNICAL

Fixed a duplicated word in the summary section: 'for good cause shown. shown, as specified' was corrected to 'for good cause shown, as specified.'

The vote and appropriation language ('Vote: majority. Appropriation: no...') was moved from before the enacting clause to after it, a formatting reorganization.

A likely drafting error was introduced in Section 2339(b)(2), where 'exists' appears duplicated: 'good cause exists, exists and the court finds good cause.'

03/02/26 - Amended Assembly → 05/28/26 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · May 28, 2026

MODERATE

The Senate amendment significantly narrows the bill's scope by removing all provisions related to Section 511 of the Family Code (confidential marriage certificates), which had been included in the Assembly version. The remaining dissolution provisions were substantially expanded: Section 2339 now requires that parties have resolved all material issues before a court may reduce or waive the six-month waiting period, adds procedural safeguards (notice hearing or mutual stipulation), and defines specific examples of good cause including domestic violence victims and parties with signed settlement agreements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from three Family Code sections (2339, 2403, and 511) to two (2339 and 2403). All confidential marriage certificate provisions were dropped. The remaining dissolution provisions were broadened with new procedural requirements and a non-exhaustive list of good cause examples.

SCOPE

All amendments to Section 511 of the Family Code regarding confidential marriage certificates were removed. The Assembly version had restructured that section into four subdivisions covering record retention, reproduction standards, search limitations, and quarterly transmission to the State Registrar. None of this remains in the Senate version.

REQUIREMENT

Section 2339(b) now requires that parties have resolved all material issues related to the dissolution before a court may reduce or waive the six-month waiting period. This condition was not present in the Assembly version, which allowed reduction or waiver for good cause shown without any prerequisite.

Section 2339(b) now requires one of two procedural safeguards: either the court conducts a notice hearing to determine good cause, or both parties stipulate that good cause exists and the court finds good cause. The Assembly version had no such procedural requirement.

DEFINITION

New subdivision (c) to Section 2339 defines examples of good cause: (1) the petitioning party is a victim of domestic violence during the marriage and requests waiver or reduction for health, safety, and well-being; (2) the parties have signed and filed a marital settlement agreement resolving all material issues; (3) one party seeks to remarry and the waiver will not affect issues bifurcated under Section 2337.

02/12/26 - Introduced → 03/02/26 - Amended Assembly · 3 edits · Mar 2, 2026

MINOR

AB 1875 was significantly expanded from a technical cleanup of confidential marriage record-keeping rules to also allow courts to reduce or waive the mandatory six-month waiting period before a divorce judgment becomes final. Originally the bill only made nonsubstantive edits to Section 511, but the amendment adds new provisions to Sections 2339 and 2403 that let judges shorten or eliminate the waiting period for good cause shown, in both contested and summary dissolutions.

Scope change

Expanded from a technical amendment to confidential marriage record-keeping (Section 511 only) to also cover divorce and summary dissolution waiting periods (Sections 2339 and 2403), giving courts new authority to shorten or eliminate the six-month mandatory waiting period before a marriage is legally dissolved.

SCOPE

The bill now amends Sections 2339 and 2403 of the Family Code in addition to Section 511, expanding its scope from confidential marriage records to divorce waiting periods.

REQUIREMENT

Section 2339(b) previously only allowed a court to extend the six-month waiting period before a dissolution judgment becomes final. The amendment adds the ability to reduce or waive that period for good cause shown, meaning a judge can now finalize a divorce in less than six months or immediately.

A new Section 2403(b) is added allowing a court to reduce or waive the six-month waiting period for summary dissolution (joint petition) for good cause shown. Previously, the six-month period was mandatory with no judicial discretion to shorten it.

Dissolution of marriage.

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