SB 991 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Residential care facilities for the elderly: categorization of citations.

Summary

Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act (act) , requires the State Department of Social Services to license, inspect, and regulate residential care facilities for the elderly, as defined, and imposes criminal penalties on a person who violates the act or who willfully or repeatedly violates any rule or regulation adopted under the act. Existing law authorizes the department to also impose civil penalties for violations of the act. Existing law gives residents of those facilities specified rights, including, but not limited to, the right to be free from neglect, financial exploitation, involuntary seclusion, and verbal, mental, or physical abuse. Beginning July 1, 2029, this bill would require the department, when a licensee is cited for a deficiency that constitutes abuse in violation of a resident's rights, to categorize the type of abuse. The bill would describe the categories of abuse, including physical abuse and abandonment, among others and would require that the category of abuse be listed on a public-facing database maintained by the department.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Jul 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Assembly Passage

Aug 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Last action Aug 28, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

08/13/26 - Amended Assembly → SB991 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The enrolled version of SB 991 made two main substantive changes from the Amended Assembly version: it delayed the operative date from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2029, and it restructured the abuse categorization scheme by removing cross-references to specific Welfare and Institutions Code sections in favor of self-contained definitions for each category. The bill also resolved a drafting conflict where two competing versions of subdivision (b) had been merged, settling on seven descriptive categories that include sexual abuse but drop undue influence as a standalone category.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed slightly by removing undue influence as a standalone category (leaving 7 categories instead of 8) while adding sexual abuse as an explicit category. The effective date was pushed back two years from 2027 to 2029, delaying when the categorization and public database requirements would apply.

TIMELINE

The operative date was changed from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2029, giving facilities an additional two years before the categorization requirements take effect.

DEFINITION

The bill removed cross-references to specific Welfare and Institutions Code sections (e.g., Section 15610.63 for physical abuse) and replaced them with self-contained descriptive definitions for each abuse category, making the statute standalone rather than dependent on external code sections.

SCOPE

Sexual abuse was added as a distinct categorization option (item 2 in subdivision (b)), covering sexual battery, rape, incest, sodomy, oral copulation, sexual penetration, and lewd and lascivious acts. This category existed in the old draft's description list but not in its cross-reference list.

Undue influence was removed as a standalone abuse category (it had been item 8 in the old cross-reference list). Undue influence is still referenced within the financial exploitation definition and the mental abuse definition, but can no longer be cited as its own independent category.

TECHNICAL

Subdivision (a) was simplified from 'When the department substantiates a violation in a residential care facility for the elderly a licensee is cited for a deficiency that constitutes abuse' to 'When a licensee is cited for a deficiency that constitutes abuse,' removing redundant language and clarifying the trigger.

05/14/26 - Amended Senate → 08/13/26 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · Aug 13, 2026

MODERATE

The Assembly amended SB 991 to delay its effective date from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2029, narrow the trigger for abuse categorization to only when a licensee is actually cited for a deficiency, require a single most-applicable category rather than multiple categories, add detailed definitions for each abuse type (including a new sexual abuse category), and add a provision making the abuse category assignment itself non-appealable while preserving the right to appeal the underlying citation.

TIMELINE

Effective date changed from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2029, delaying implementation by two years.

SCOPE

The trigger for categorization was narrowed: the department must now substantiate a violation AND have cited a licensee for a deficiency that constitutes abuse, rather than merely substantiating a violation. The reference to 'related regulations' was also added alongside Section 1569.269.

Sexual abuse was added as a new categorization option, including definitions covering sexual battery, rape, incest, sodomy, oral copulation, sexual penetration, and lewd and lascivious acts.

Abduction and undue influence were removed as standalone categories. Undue influence is now referenced only within the financial exploitation definition.

REQUIREMENT

The categorization requirement changed from allowing 'one or more' categories to requiring the department to assign a single category that is 'most applicable or relevant based on the facts and circumstances.'

DEFINITION

Detailed descriptive definitions were added for each abuse category (physical abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment, financial exploitation, involuntary seclusion/isolation, mental abuse/suffering, neglect), replacing the previous approach of simply cross-referencing Welfare and Institutions Code sections.

ENFORCEMENT

A new subdivision (e) was added stating that the assignment of a specific abuse category is not subject to appeal, while licensees retain the right to appeal the underlying citation, finding of violation, or civil penalty. Any successful appeal modifying the underlying determination will automatically update the assigned abuse category.

Floor votes · Senate May 19, 2026 · Assembly Aug 25, 2026

How they voted

38–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

May 19, 2026

D Democratic30

30 Yea

100% 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 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

upper

Aug 25, 2026

Introduced

In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

upper

Aug 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.

lower

Aug 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

lower

Aug 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 13).

lower

Jul 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jun 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.

lower

Jun 8, 2026

Committee

Referred to Coms. on AGING & L.T.C and HUM. S.

lower

May 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4351.) Ordered to the Assembly.

upper

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

upper

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Apr 7, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 3740.) (April 6). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

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

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors