SB 985 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

911 emergency system.

Summary

Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to develop a plan and timeline of target dates for the testing, implementation, and operation of a Next Generation 911 emergency communication system, including text to 911 service, throughout California. This bill would require the office to provide quarterly reports to the Legislature on the development, implementation, and spending on the Next Generation 911 system, as specified.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Assembly Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Last action Aug 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/05/26 - Introduced → 03/23/26 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Mar 23, 2026

MODERATE

The Senate amendment to SB 985 adds a short title ('Fix 911 Act'), adds Senator Seyarto as a co-author and three additional coauthors, and most significantly removes the existing $0.80 per month cap on the 911 surcharge, replacing it with an unspecified amount to be determined. The removal of the cap is the key policy change, as it would allow the Office of Emergency Services to set the surcharge above or below the current ceiling.

SCOPE

A new Section 1 was added giving the bill the short title 'Fix 911 Act,' providing a public-facing name for the legislation.

FISCAL

The $0.80 per month cap on the 911 surcharge (Revenue and Taxation Code Section 41030(b)(1)) was removed and replaced with a blank amount to be filled in, meaning the maximum surcharge is no longer fixed by statute.

TECHNICAL

Senator Seyarto was added as a co-author alongside Senator Strickland, and Senators Jones, Niello, and Ochoa Bogh were added as additional coauthors.

Section numbering was adjusted to accommodate the new short title section, though the amendment appears to contain a numbering error with two sections both labeled 'SEC. 2.'

03/23/26 - Amended Senate → 06/10/26 - Amended Assembly · 4 edits · Jun 10, 2026

MODERATE

The Assembly removed the entire amendment to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 41030, which would have changed how the 911 emergency surcharge cap is calculated. The bill now focuses solely on strengthening quarterly reporting requirements for Next Generation 911 implementation. The remaining changes add State 911 Advisory Board recommendation tracking to reports, expand report recipients, and shift reporting deadlines from end-of-quarter to beginning-of-quarter dates.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed significantly. The Senate version covered both reporting requirements (Government Code Section 53121) and surcharge/funding mechanics (Revenue and Taxation Code Section 41030). The Assembly version retains only the Government Code reporting provisions, dropping all funding mechanism changes.

FISCAL

The entire amendment to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 41030 was deleted. This section contained the formula for calculating the annual 911 and 988 surcharge, including the surcharge cap (which in the Senate version had an unspecified dollar amount per access line per month), the 988 surcharge calculation method, service supplier reporting requirements, and validation procedures. Removing this means the existing surcharge structure remains unchanged.

REQUIREMENT

Quarterly reports must now include recommendations made by the State 911 Advisory Board to the Office of Emergency Services, any actions taken in response, and justification for any decisions that contradict those recommendations.

ENFORCEMENT

Report recipients were expanded to include the Assembly and Senate Committees on Emergency Management and the State 911 Advisory Board, in addition to the existing budget committee chairpersons, subcommittees, and Legislative Analyst's Office.

TIMELINE

Quarterly report deadlines changed from March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 (end of quarter) to January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 (beginning of quarter), effectively moving reports earlier in each quarter.

Floor votes · Senate May 22, 2026

How they voted

33–0

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 40

May 22, 2026

D Democratic30

25 Yea 5

83% Yea

R Republican10

8 Yea 2

80% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

August 13 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

lower

Jul 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jun 16, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on C. & C. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 15). Re-referred to Com. on C. & C.

lower

Jun 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

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

lower

Jun 1, 2026

Committee

Referred to Coms. on E.M and C. & C.

lower

May 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 33. Noes 0. Page 4418.) Ordered to the Assembly.

upper

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 4260.) (May 14).

upper

Apr 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

April 27 hearing postponed by committee.

upper

Apr 15, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 3864.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E.M. (Ayes 15. Noes 0. Page 3589.) (March 17).

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Coms. on E., U & C. and E.M.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

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

upper

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors