---
type: "Bill"
title: "Murder: punishment."
description: "Murder: punishment."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "19992000"
identifier: "AB 208"
citation: "California AB 208 (19992000)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Murder: punishment."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Knox"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 21
vote_count: 13
first_action: "1999-01-25"
last_action: "1999-09-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/92722b78-5429-4730-a9de-e0c797a878e0"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208"
source_hash: "1910cc9ad03bef81fdd83ed0de730aee8c836571663bc4a3a2d413e5628cc9ab"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 208 (19992000) — Murder: punishment.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **01/25/99 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208&version=19990AB20899INT)
2. **05/28/99 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208&version=19990AB20898AMD)
3. **08/16/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208&version=19990AB20897AMD)
4. **09/29/99 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208&version=19990AB20895CHP)
5. **AB208** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208)
6. **09/07/99 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB208&version=19990AB20896ENR)

## Votes

- Assembly 3rd Reading AB208 Knox By Johnston Amend by Haynes — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB208 Knox By Johnston Amend by Haynes — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 208 KNOX AMEND BY BALDWIN SET #3 LAY ON THE TABLE — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AB 208 KNOX AMEND BY CUNNEEN SET #2 LAY ON THE TABLE — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB208 Knox By Johnston Amend by Haynes — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 208 KNOX CONCURRENCE — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB208 Knox By Johnston — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB208 Knox By Johnston Amend by Haynes — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 208 KNOX THIRD READING — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Knox — primary (person)
- Jackson — coauthor (person)
- Johnston — coauthor (person)
- Kuehl — coauthor (person)
- Romero — coauthor (person)
- Shelley — coauthor (person)
- Villaraigosa — coauthor (person)
- Zettel — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **1999-09-29** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 566, Statutes of 1999.
- **1999-09-28** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **1999-09-14** Enrolled and to the Governor at 3 p.m.
- **1999-09-07** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 59. Noes 15. Page 3917.) `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **1999-09-03** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 5 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **1999-09-03** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2913.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-09-01** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.). Read second time. To third reading. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-08-17** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Appropriations Re-referred. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **1999-08-16** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Standing Committee on Public Safety. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-07-14** Joint Rule 61 (a) suspended.
- **1999-06-10** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **1999-06-07** Referred to Standing Committee on Public Safety. `referral-committee`
- **1999-06-03** In Senate. Read first time. To Standing Committee on Rules for assignment. `reading-1`
- **1999-06-02** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 56. Noes 19. Page 2286.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-06-01** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-05-28** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 20. Noes 1.) (May 26). Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-05-12** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to Standing Committee on Appropriations suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **1999-04-14** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Appropriations Re-referred. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (April 13). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **1999-02-04** Referred to Standing Committee on Public Safety. `referral-committee`
- **1999-01-26** From printer. May be heard in committee February 25.
- **1999-01-25** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/92722b78-5429-4730-a9de-e0c797a878e0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).