Department of Transportation and local agencies: streets and highways: recycled materials.

Header changed from enrolled bill format (Assembly/Senate passage dates, governor receipt line) to chaptered format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' and Chapter 443 designation.

Approval date filled in: 'Approved by Governor October 7, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 7, 2025.'

Page headers changed from 'AB 978' to 'Ch. 443' and page numbers adjusted (96 to 95). All body text is identical, only line wrapping differs.

The provision allowing a request for the reason a local agency deems recycled materials infeasible was narrowed from a general 'upon request' right to one limited specifically to a person bidding on a contract advertised by the local agency to supply materials subject to those specifications.

A new requirement that the local agency must provide its response via email correspondence to the person's official point of contact as specified in the request, establishing a specific method and recipient for the agency's reply.

Subdivisions were renumbered: the material specification list moved from subdivision (c) to (b), the new bidder-request provision became subdivision (c), and cross-references throughout the section were updated accordingly.

Subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 42704.6 were swapped: the requirement that local agency specifications allow recycled materials at a minimum level moved from subdivision (c) to (b), and the provision allowing bidders to request an explanation for infeasibility determinations moved from (b) to (c). This places the substantive obligation before the accountability mechanism.

Cross-references within the statute were updated to match the reordering: references to 'subdivision (c)' for the recycled materials level requirement were changed to 'subdivision (b)', and the reference in subdivision (d) was updated from '(c)' to '(b)'.

The Legislative Counsel's Digest was corrected to fix typos from the Senate amendment: 'local government's agency's' was changed to 'agency's', and 'would require authorize' was changed to 'would authorize.'

Enrolled-version procedural elements were added, including Assembly passage date (September 12, 2025), Senate passage date (September 9, 2025), Governor's receipt line, and approval signature block.

The original subdivision (a) requiring both Caltrans and local agencies to use advanced technologies and material recycling techniques that reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions was entirely removed. The amended bill focuses solely on local agency standard specifications for recycled materials.

The requirement that local agency standard specifications allow recycled materials at or above Caltrans levels was previously limited to the period from January 1, 2024 through January 1, 2027. The amendment removes this sunset date, making the requirement indefinite and permanent.

A new provision requires that if a local agency's standard specifications do not allow recycled materials at or above Caltrans levels on the basis that such use is not feasible, the local agency must provide the reason for that determination upon request. This creates a transparency and accountability mechanism.

The 'to the extent feasible and cost effective' qualifier was repositioned. In the introduced version it applied broadly to all requirements including advanced technologies. In the amended version it applies specifically to the requirement that local agencies apply standard specifications allowing recycled materials, while the specific material-level requirement in subdivision (c) has no such qualifier.