---
type: "Bill"
title: "Child custody."
description: "Child custody."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "19992000"
identifier: "AB 840"
citation: "California AB 840 (19992000)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Child custody."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Kuehl"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 16
vote_count: 5
first_action: "1999-02-24"
last_action: "1999-09-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7ac927ae-95ec-4b01-8424-fb85310ee4a7"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840"
source_hash: "00c2b2ad63d20e02a4720123703b6ef70fbea6a965d99bdb18eee6ac17e736b5"
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 840 (19992000) — Child custody.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/24/99 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840&version=19990AB84099INT)
2. **08/17/99 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840&version=19990AB84098AMD)
3. **09/21/99 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840&version=19990AB84096CHP)
4. **AB840** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840)
5. **08/26/99 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=199920000AB840&version=19990AB84097ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass as amended. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 840 KUEHL THIRD READING — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB840 Kuehl Escutia — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 840 KUEHL CONCURRENCE — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Kuehl — primary (person)
- Alpert — coauthor (person)
- Chesbro — coauthor (person)
- Havice — coauthor (person)
- Karnette — coauthor (person)
- Keeley — coauthor (person)
- Mazzoni — coauthor (person)
- McClintock — coauthor (person)
- Morrow — coauthor (person)
- Perata — coauthor (person)
- Rainey — principal coauthor (person)
- Solis — coauthor (person)
- Thomson — coauthor (person)
- Washington — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **1999-09-21** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 445, Statutes of 1999.
- **1999-09-21** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **1999-08-31** Enrolled and to the Governor at 2 p.m.
- **1999-08-26** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 66. Noes 9. Page 3440.) `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **1999-08-24** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 26 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **1999-08-23** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 21. Noes 5. Page 2558.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-08-17** Read second time, amended, and to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-08-16** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.). `committee-passage, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **1999-05-12** Referred to Standing Committee on Judiciary. `referral-committee`
- **1999-04-26** In Senate. Read first time. To Standing Committee on Rules for assignment. `reading-1`
- **1999-04-26** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 61. Noes 8. Page 1295.) `passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **1999-04-22** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **1999-04-21** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 20). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **1999-03-11** Referred to Standing Committee on Judiciary. `referral-committee`
- **1999-02-25** From printer. May be heard in committee March 27.
- **1999-02-24** 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/7ac927ae-95ec-4b01-8424-fb85310ee4a7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).