SB 460 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Sunset Review Committee.

Summary

Existing law establishes the Joint Sunset Review Committee (committee) , a legislative committee comprised of 10 Members of the Legislature, to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies and to conduct a comprehensive analysis of an eligible agency, as defined, for which a date for repeal has been established, to determine if the agency is still necessary and cost effective. Existing law requires each eligible agency scheduled for repeal to submit to the committee, on or before December 1 before the year it is set to be repealed, a complete agency report covering the entire period since last reviewed, as described. This bill would additionally require each eligible agency scheduled for repeal to submit to the committee, on or before December 1, 2026, a comprehensive report covering the entire period since last reviewed, as specified. The bill would require the committee to conduct a comprehensive analysis of each eligible agency to determine if the eligible agency is still necessary and cost-effective, as prescribed. The bill would require the committee to publish a report on its internet website with recommendations determining, among other things, whether an eligible agency should be continued with its current structure and responsibilities.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 19, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/19/25 - Introduced → 03/26/25 - Amended Senate · 6 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

The amendment transforms SB 460 from a bill making minor wording fixes to legislative findings about administrative regulations into a substantive bill adding an entirely new section (9147.8) that imposes detailed reporting and review requirements on the Joint Sunset Review Committee for agencies scheduled for repeal. The original nonsubstantive edits to Section 11340 are retained but become secondary. A fiscal committee review was also flagged, indicating a budgetary impact was identified.

Scope change

The bill's primary purpose shifted from making nonsubstantive edits to legislative findings about administrative regulations to establishing new substantive requirements for sunset review of state agencies scheduled for repeal, including mandatory reporting deadlines, comprehensive analysis obligations, and public publication of recommendations.

SCOPE

Adds new Government Code Section 9147.8, which requires each eligible agency scheduled for repeal to submit a comprehensive report to the Joint Sunset Review Committee by December 1, 2026, covering mission, regulatory actions with costs, efficiency assessments, and enforcement evaluations.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Joint Sunset Review Committee to conduct a comprehensive analysis of each eligible agency to determine if it is still necessary and cost-effective, including reviewing reports, holding public hearings every five years, evaluating public need for continued existence, and assessing whether functions could be revised, consolidated, or eliminated.

ENFORCEMENT

Requires the committee to publish a report on its internet website with recommendations determining whether each eligible agency should be continued as-is, continued with modifications, or consolidated with another agency.

DEFINITION

Defines 'regulatory action' as one resulting in implementation costs over $300 per individual and $8,000 per business in a calendar or fiscal year, and defines 'public need' to include oversight, administration, or regulation serving the public interest including affordability and essential services.

FISCAL

Fiscal committee review changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment introduced a budgetary impact that requires fiscal analysis.

TECHNICAL

Minor wording changes to Section 11340 findings: swapped word order in 'unclear and unnecessarily complex' to 'unnecessarily complex and unclear,' and removed redundant phrasing 'as well as that of' before 'the executive branch.'

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Introduced

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

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors