---
type: "Bill"
title: "Groundwater sustainability agencies: fees."
description: "Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "AB 2874"
citation: "California AB 2874 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Groundwater sustainability agencies: fees."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Beth Gaines"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 22
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2016-02-19"
last_action: "2016-08-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/044dedb4-d567-446f-8525-bb0128284cb6"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874"
source_hash: "f42e7b0538c3108a9414b2f9ca4a679cd9d2492fbd011541130da82a11dfc757"
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 2874 (20152016) — Groundwater sustainability agencies: fees.

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/19/16 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874&version=20150AB287499INT)
2. **03/15/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874&version=20150AB287498AMD)
3. **06/02/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874&version=20150AB287497AMD)
4. **08/17/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874&version=20150AB287495CHP)
5. **AB2874** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874)
6. **08/02/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2874&version=20150AB287496ENR)

## Votes

- AB 2874 GAINES Consent Calendar Second Day — **79–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- Consent Calendar 2nd AB2874 Beth Gaines — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 2874 GAINES Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **76–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **19–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Beth Gaines — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-02-19** Introduced. To print. `introduction`
- **2016-02-21** From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
- **2016-02-22** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2016-03-14** Referred to Com. on W., P., & W. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-15** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W., P., & W. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-03-16** Re-referred to Com. on W., P., & W. `referral-committee`
- **2016-04-13** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 12). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-04-27** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 19. Noes 0.) (April 27). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-04-28** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-05-05** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 4688.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-05-05** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2016-05-12** Referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `referral-committee`
- **2016-06-02** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-14** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-06-27** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage`
- **2016-06-28** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-06-30** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 4652.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-30** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after July 29 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2016-08-01** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 5640.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2016-08-05** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2:30 p.m.
- **2016-08-17** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-08-17** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 139, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/044dedb4-d567-446f-8525-bb0128284cb6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).