---
type: "Bill"
title: "The False Claims Act."
description: "Existing law, the False Claims Act, provides that a person who commits any one of several enumerated acts relating to the submission to the state or a political subdivision of the state a false claim for money, property, or services, as specified, shall be liable to the state or political subdivision for certain damages and may be liable for a civil penalty. Existing law requires the Attorney General and a prosecuting authority of a political subdivision of the state to diligently investigate specific violations of the act. Existing law also authorizes the Attorney General or the prosecuting authority of a political subdivision of the state to intervene in an action filed by a qui tam plaintiff under these provisions. Existing law authorizes a court to award a defendant its reasonable attorney's fees and expenses under certain circumstances that include when the court finds the claim was brought solely for purposes of harassment."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20092010"
identifier: "AB 1196"
citation: "California AB 1196 (20092010)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["The False Claims Act."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Blumenfield"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 29
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2009-02-27"
last_action: "2009-10-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/63f130e9-2ab0-484b-8101-e443c2df4d7f"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196"
source_hash: "27ac2393677efedd933856c8360ed2619c74effaf1ba96eb7b6c32337d79632a"
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 1196 (20092010) — The False Claims Act.

Existing law, the False Claims Act, provides that a person who commits any one of several enumerated acts relating to the submission to the state or a political subdivision of the state a false claim for money, property, or services, as specified, shall be liable to the state or political subdivision for certain damages and may be liable for a civil penalty. Existing law requires the Attorney General and a prosecuting authority of a political subdivision of the state to diligently investigate specific violations of the act. Existing law also authorizes the Attorney General or the prosecuting authority of a political subdivision of the state to intervene in an action filed by a qui tam plaintiff under these provisions. Existing law authorizes a court to award a defendant its reasonable attorney's fees and expenses under certain circumstances that include when the court finds the claim was brought solely for purposes of harassment.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/27/09 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119699INT)
2. **04/15/09 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119698AMD)
3. **05/28/09 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119697AMD)
4. **06/26/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119696AMD)
5. **07/23/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119695AMD)
6. **09/02/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119694AMD)
7. **10/11/09 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119692CHP)
8. **AB1196** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196)
9. **09/16/09 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1196&version=20090AB119693ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB1196 Blumenfield By Corbett — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 1196 BLUMENFIELD Assembly Third Reading — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AB 1196 BLUMENFIELD Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Blumenfield — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2009-02-27** Introduced. To print. `introduction`
- **2009-03-01** From printer. May be heard in committee March 30.
- **2009-03-02** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2009-03-26** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-10** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2009-04-15** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2009-04-16** Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-21** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 21). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2009-05-07** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 4.) (May 6). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2009-05-11** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-05-28** Read third time, amended, and returned to third reading. (Page 1759.). `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2009-06-01** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 53. Noes 23. Page 1870.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2009-06-02** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2009-06-11** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2009-06-25** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2009-06-26** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2009-07-06** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2009-07-23** From committee: Amend, do pass as amended, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 3. Noes 2.) (July 14). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage`
- **2009-07-23** Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-08-18** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. `committee-passage`
- **2009-08-19** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-09-02** Read third time, amended. To second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2009-09-03** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-09-08** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 28. Noes 12. Page 2294.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2009-09-09** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- **2009-09-10** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 53. Noes 24. Page 3266.) `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2009-09-25** Enrolled and to the Governor at 5 p.m.
- **2009-10-11** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2009-10-11** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 277, Statutes of 2009.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/63f130e9-2ab0-484b-8101-e443c2df4d7f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).