--- type: "Bill" title: "Joint powers agreements: mutual water companies." description: "The Joint Exercise of Powers Act authorizes 2 or more public agencies, as defined, if authorized by their governing bodies, by agreement to jointly exercise any power common to the contracting parties, and specifically authorizes a mutual water company to enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency for these purposes. Existing law authorizes local public entities, as defined, to enter into a joint powers agreement for the purposes of providing risk-pooling, as specified." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20152016" identifier: "AB 656" citation: "California AB 656 (20152016)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Joint powers agreements: mutual water companies."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Cristina Garcia"] version_count: 6 action_count: 22 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2015-02-24" last_action: "2015-09-03" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9a6b4c43-8d91-4550-ac0b-f3d585dba762" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656" source_hash: "e2b59b0e7aaedafa294fd58295ece8318217ed993a29673e08d8997d24ceef70" 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 656 (20152016) — Joint powers agreements: mutual water companies. The Joint Exercise of Powers Act authorizes 2 or more public agencies, as defined, if authorized by their governing bodies, by agreement to jointly exercise any power common to the contracting parties, and specifically authorizes a mutual water company to enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency for these purposes. Existing law authorizes local public entities, as defined, to enter into a joint powers agreement for the purposes of providing risk-pooling, as specified. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/24/15 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656&version=20150AB65699INT) 2. **05/04/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656&version=20150AB65698AMD) 3. **06/22/15 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656&version=20150AB65697AMD) 4. **09/03/15 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656&version=20150AB65695CHP) 5. **AB656** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656) 6. **08/21/15 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB656&version=20150AB65696ENR) ## Votes - Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **9–0** (pass) · lower - Do pass. — **14–1** (pass) · lower - AB 656 GARCIA, C. Assembly Third Reading — **68–1** (pass) · lower - AB 656 GARCIA, C. Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **77–1** (pass) · lower - Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–0** (pass) · upper - 3rd Reading AB656 Cristina Garcia By Hertzberg — **37–0** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Cristina Garcia — primary (person) - Alejo — coauthor (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2015-02-24** Read first time. To print. `reading-1` - **2015-02-25** From printer. May be heard in committee March 27. - **2015-03-09** Referred to Com. on L. GOV. `referral-committee` - **2015-04-22** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. - **2015-04-30** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 29). `amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage` - **2015-05-04** Read second time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1` - **2015-05-05** Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee` - **2015-05-20** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 1.) (May 20). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2015-05-21** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2015-05-22** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 68. Noes 1. Page 1557.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2015-05-22** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1` - **2015-06-04** Referred to Com. on GOV. & F. `referral-committee` - **2015-06-19** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 17). `amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage` - **2015-06-22** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1` - **2015-07-06** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. `committee-passage` - **2015-07-07** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2015-08-17** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2052.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2015-08-18** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 20 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77. - **2015-08-20** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 1. Page 2523.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage` - **2015-08-27** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m. - **2015-09-03** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2015-09-03** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 250, Statutes of 2015. ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9a6b4c43-8d91-4550-ac0b-f3d585dba762`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).