---
type: "Bill"
title: "Inmates: biomedical data."
description: "Existing law prohibits biomedical research, as defined, from being conducted on any prisoner in the state."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "SB 1238"
citation: "California SB 1238 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Inmates: biomedical data."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Pan"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 23
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2016-02-18"
last_action: "2016-08-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/14021ca7-777e-43bc-819b-a19608ae0660"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238"
source_hash: "ed99221617a776aee75fed4e31c28849b2f9d640f8aca577f208311ee97f3268"
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 SB 1238 (20152016) — Inmates: biomedical data.

Existing law prohibits biomedical research, as defined, from being conducted on any prisoner in the state.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/18/16 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238&version=20150SB123899INT)
2. **03/29/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238&version=20150SB123898AMD)
3. **08/25/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238&version=20150SB123896CHP)
4. **SB1238** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238)
5. **08/12/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1238&version=20150SB123897ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **20–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **17–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 1238 Pan Consent Calendar Second Day — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety] — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Pan — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-02-18** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2016-02-19** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 20.
- **2016-03-03** Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-17** Set for hearing April 6.
- **2016-03-29** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-04-07** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 3445.) (April 6). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-04-08** Set for hearing April 19.
- **2016-04-20** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3614.) (April 19). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-05-06** Set for hearing May 16.
- **2016-05-16** From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2016-05-17** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-05-26** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 3954.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-05-26** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2016-06-06** Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2016-06-22** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-06-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-03** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 20. Noes 0.) (August 3). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-04** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-08-11** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 5779.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-11** In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
- **2016-08-16** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11:30 a.m.
- **2016-08-25** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-08-25** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 197, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/14021ca7-777e-43bc-819b-a19608ae0660`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).