---
type: "Bill"
title: "Vehicles: use of wireless electronic devices."
description: "Existing law prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication, as defined, unless the electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured, and is used, to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, as specified. A violation of these provisions is an infraction."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "AB 1785"
citation: "California AB 1785 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Vehicles: use of wireless electronic devices."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Quirk"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 27
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2016-02-04"
last_action: "2016-09-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d77c3752-c07f-4562-8189-9befcb27895a"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785"
source_hash: "d8e761347efc7a15c00f368a34d2bbe64380a1cfca617adcd0306e7f01b62a4f"
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 1785 (20152016) — Vehicles: use of wireless electronic devices.

Existing law prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication, as defined, unless the electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured, and is used, to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, as specified. A violation of these provisions is an infraction.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/04/16 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178599INT)
2. **03/28/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178598AMD)
3. **04/05/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178597AMD)
4. **05/27/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178596AMD)
5. **06/30/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178595AMD)
6. **08/03/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178594AMD)
7. **09/26/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178592CHP)
8. **AB1785** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785)
9. **08/25/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785&version=20150AB178593ENR)

## Votes

- AB 1785 QUIRK Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **52–20** (pass) · lower
- AB 1785 QUIRK Assembly Third Reading — **48–22** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB1785 Quirk By Beall — **23–13** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **6–3** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **14–6** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **11–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Quirk — primary (person)
- Frazier — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-02-04** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2016-02-05** From printer. May be heard in committee March 6.
- **2016-02-18** Referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-28** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-03-29** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-31** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2016-04-05** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-04-06** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2016-04-12** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (April 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-05-11** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 6.) (May 11). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-05-12** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-05-27** Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 4944.) `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-05-31** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 48. Noes 22. Page 5011.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-01** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2016-06-09** Referred to Com. on T. & H. `referral-committee`
- **2016-06-29** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 3.) (June 28). `amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2016-06-30** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-01** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. `committee-passage`
- **2016-08-02** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-08-03** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-04** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-08-17** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 23. Noes 13. Page 5056.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-17** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 19 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2016-08-23** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 52. Noes 20. Page 6125.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2016-08-30** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2016-09-26** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-09-26** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 660, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d77c3752-c07f-4562-8189-9befcb27895a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).