---
type: "Bill"
title: "High-speed rail."
description: "Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relative to development and implementation of a high-speed train system, including the acquisition of rights-of-way through purchase and eminent domain. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion for high-speed train capital projects and other associated purposes."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20132014"
identifier: "AB 481"
citation: "California AB 481 (20132014)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["High-speed rail."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lowenthal"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 23
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2013-02-19"
last_action: "2013-08-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6cf88826-8779-41c4-b28c-3fd97e3eed3b"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481"
source_hash: "4e1aa7a00482001bdcb08ed3f890eb9b79d04bd45ae1be3e6a522d6dd4d0b606"
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 481 (20132014) — High-speed rail.

Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relative to development and implementation of a high-speed train system, including the acquisition of rights-of-way through purchase and eminent domain. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion for high-speed train capital projects and other associated purposes.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/19/13 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481&version=20130AB48199INT)
2. **04/01/13 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481&version=20130AB48198AMD)
3. **06/12/13 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481&version=20130AB48197AMD)
4. **08/26/13 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481&version=20130AB48195CHP)
5. **AB481** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481)
6. **08/13/13 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB481&version=20130AB48196ENR)

## Votes

- AB 481 LOWENTHAL Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **52–23** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **8–2** (pass) · upper
- AB 481 LOWENTHAL Assembly Third Reading — **51–21** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **12–5** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **4–2** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading AB481 Lowenthal By Galgiani — **21–9** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **9–2** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review. — **11–5** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lowenthal — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2013-02-19** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2013-02-20** From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
- **2013-02-28** Referred to Coms. on TRANS. and A. & A.R. `referral-committee`
- **2013-04-01** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2013-04-02** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2013-04-09** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on A. & A.R. (Ayes 11. Noes 5.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on A. & A.R. `committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2013-05-02** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 2.) (May 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2013-05-16** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (May 15). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2013-05-20** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2013-05-23** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 51. Noes 21. Page 1566.) `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2013-05-23** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2013-06-06** Referred to Com. on T. & H. `referral-committee`
- **2013-06-11** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (June 11). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2013-06-12** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2013-06-19** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2013-07-01** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (July 1). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2013-07-02** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2013-07-08** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 21. Noes 9. Page 1700.). `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2013-08-05** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 7 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2013-08-08** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 52. Noes 23. Page 2464.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2013-08-15** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 12:30 p.m.
- **2013-08-26** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2013-08-26** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 132, Statutes of 2013.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6cf88826-8779-41c4-b28c-3fd97e3eed3b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).