---
type: "Bill"
title: "Surface mining."
description: "Surface mining."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "19992000"
identifier: "AB 297"
citation: "California AB 297 (19992000)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Surface mining."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Thomson"]
version_count: 11
action_count: 27
vote_count: 8
first_action: "1999-02-08"
last_action: "1999-10-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bd95d06b-eca5-49a9-afeb-a929de7c9c3f"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297"
source_hash: "1753c41b569c09d57168bcaba70d67631f2a23fb1d67bd96022fffaa116ca006"
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 297 (19992000) — Surface mining.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/08/99 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29799INT)
2. **03/11/99 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29798AMD)
3. **04/05/99 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29797AMD)
4. **04/27/99 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29796AMD)
5. **07/12/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29795AMD)
6. **08/16/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29794AMD)
7. **08/25/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29793AMD)
8. **09/02/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29792AMD)
9. **10/10/99 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29790CHP)
10. **AB297** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297)
11. **09/09/99 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB297&version=19990AB29791ENR)

## Votes

- Assembly 3rd Reading AB297 Thomson By Sher — **pass** (pass) · upper
- SPEC. CONSENT CALENDAR SECOND DAY CONCURRENCE — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AB 297 THOMSON SPEC. CONSENT CALENDAR SECOND DAY CONCURRENCE — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AB 297 THOMSON THIRD READING — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Thomson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **1999-10-10** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 869, Statutes of 1999.
- **1999-10-08** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **1999-09-21** Enrolled and to the Governor at 11:30 a.m.
- **1999-09-10** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 4346.) `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **1999-09-07** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 9 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77. Ordered to Special Consent Calendar.
- **1999-09-07** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2968.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-09-03** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-09-02** Read third time, amended. To second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **1999-08-25** Read second time, amended, and to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-08-24** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.). `committee-passage, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **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 Appropriations. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-07-12** Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Standing Committee on Appropriations. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-07-08** From committee: Amend, do pass as amended, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Appropriations (Ayes 7. Noes 0.). `committee-passage, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **1999-06-02** Referred to Standing Committee on Natural Resources And Water. `referral-committee`
- **1999-05-28** In Senate. Read first time. To Standing Committee on Rules for assignment. `reading-1`
- **1999-05-27** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 21. Noes 0.) (May 26). Read second time. To third reading. Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2030.) `committee-passage, reading-3, passage, committee-passage-favorable, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-05-19** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to Standing Committee on Appropriations suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **1999-04-29** Re-referred to Standing Committee on Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **1999-04-27** Read second time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-04-26** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Appropriations (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 12). `committee-passage, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **1999-04-05** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Natural Resources Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Standing Committee on Natural Resources. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-03-18** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **1999-03-15** Re-referred to Standing Committee on Natural Resources. `referral-committee`
- **1999-03-11** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Natural Resources Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-02-19** Referred to Standing Committee on Natural Resources. `referral-committee`
- **1999-02-09** From printer. May be heard in committee March 11.
- **1999-02-08** 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/bd95d06b-eca5-49a9-afeb-a929de7c9c3f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).