---
type: "Bill"
title: "Malpractice actions: architects, engineers, or surveyors."
description: "Malpractice actions: architects, engineers, or surveyors."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "19992000"
identifier: "AB 540"
citation: "California AB 540 (19992000)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Malpractice actions: architects", "engineers", "or surveyors."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Machado"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 17
vote_count: 4
first_action: "1999-02-18"
last_action: "1999-07-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f7fabc47-6f2f-4310-b6e8-6a2a2223d3b6"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540"
source_hash: "86d9d1f43e2eac2fa20f6a93fdc437dd28b8f4dd69a65b88bcd880751c9780ab"
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 540 (19992000) — Malpractice actions: architects, engineers, or surveyors.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/18/99 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540&version=19990AB54099INT)
2. **05/06/99 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540&version=19990AB54098AMD)
3. **07/26/99 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540&version=19990AB54096CHP)
4. **AB540** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540)
5. **07/15/99 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB540&version=19990AB54097ENR)

## Votes

- Consent Calendar 2nd AB540 Machado — **pass** (pass) · upper
- CONSENT CALENDAR SECOND DAY — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, to Consent Calendar. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be placed on the Consent Calendar. — **pass** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Machado — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **1999-07-26** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 176, Statutes of 1999.
- **1999-07-26** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **1999-07-19** Enrolled and to the Governor at 2 p.m.
- **1999-07-15** In Assembly. To enrollment.
- **1999-07-15** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2300.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-07-12** Read second time. To Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-07-08** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **1999-05-26** Referred to Standing Committee on Judiciary. `referral-committee`
- **1999-05-20** In Senate. Read first time. To Standing Committee on Rules for assignment. `reading-1`
- **1999-05-20** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 1773.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-05-13** Read second time. To Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-05-12** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (May 11). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **1999-05-10** Re-referred to Standing Committee on Judiciary. `referral-committee`
- **1999-05-06** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Standing Committee on Judiciary Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **1999-03-04** Referred to Standing Committee on Judiciary. `referral-committee`
- **1999-02-19** From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.
- **1999-02-18** 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/f7fabc47-6f2f-4310-b6e8-6a2a2223d3b6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).