AB 2328 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vehicles: leaving the scene of an accident.

Summary

Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than that driver, or in the death of a person, to immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident and provide specified personal information to the injured person or the occupants of the other vehicle and to any traffic or police officer at the scene of the accident. Under existing law, if a vehicle accident results in injury, a person who violates the requirement to stop is subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail for not more than one year, or by a specified fine, or both the imprisonment and fine. Under existing law, if a vehicle accident results in permanent, serious injury or death, a person who violates the requirement to stop is subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, or by a specified fine, or both the imprisonment and fine. Existing law requires a person who flees the scene of the crime after committing specified vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated or vehicle manslaughter to be punished for an additional term of imprisonment of 5 years in the state prison, upon conviction, and in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed. This bill would instead require a person who violates the requirement to stop to be subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 4, or 5 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and by a specified fine, if the vehicle accident results in death.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Last action May 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/19/26 - Amended Assembly → AB2328 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made between these two versions. The bill text, including all statutory provisions for Vehicle Code Section 20001 and Welfare and Institutions Code Section 4391, is identical in both versions. The differences are entirely formatting and presentation: the document was converted from a traditional legislative print layout (with line numbers and page numbers) to a web-based bill text page with navigation elements.

TECHNICAL

The document was reformatted from a traditional legislative print layout (with line numbers, page numbers 98, and column formatting) to a web-based presentation with navigation links, search tools, version tracking, and share options. No statutory language was changed.

02/19/26 - Introduced → 03/19/26 - Amended Assembly · 6 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MODERATE

AB 2328 was substantially expanded from a bill solely about school-based mental health grant program reporting to also include major changes to California's hit-and-run penalty statute (Vehicle Code Section 20001). The amendment adds a new enhanced penalty tier specifically for hit-and-run accidents resulting in death, raising the state prison term from 2-4 years to 3-5 years, and separates death from permanent serious injury into distinct sentencing categories. The original mental health reporting requirement is retained but renumbered as the second section.

SCOPE

The bill now amends Vehicle Code Section 20001 in addition to its original Welfare and Institutions Code provision, expanding scope from a single-topic mental health reporting bill to one that also addresses criminal penalties for leaving the scene of an accident.

REQUIREMENT

New subdivision (b)(3) creates a separate penalty tier for hit-and-run resulting in death: imprisonment in state prison for 3, 4, or 5 years, or county jail for 90 days to 1 year, AND a fine of $1,000 to $10,000. This is an increase from the prior 2-4 year range that previously applied to both death and permanent serious injury together.

Subdivision (b)(2) now covers accidents resulting in death OR permanent serious injury with a 2-4 year state prison term, but subdivision (b)(3) carves out death specifically for the higher 3-5 year range. This effectively raises the minimum and maximum penalties for fatal hit-and-run cases.

New subdivision (b)(4) requires the court to consider the defendant's ability to pay when imposing the minimum fine and allows the court to reduce the minimum fine below the statutory amount in the interests of justice, with reasons stated in the record.

DEFINITION

New subdivision (d) defines 'permanent, serious injury' as the loss or permanent impairment of function of a bodily member or organ, providing a statutory definition that was previously absent from this section.

ENFORCEMENT

Subdivision (c) reorganizes the existing 5-year consecutive enhancement for fleeing after intoxicated vehicle manslaughter into this section, clarifying it applies to violations of Penal Code Section 191.5 or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

lower

Apr 29, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Apr 15, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors