--- type: "Bill" title: "High-Speed Rail Authority: eminent domain: right of first refusal." description: "Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers, including the power to acquire rights-of-way through purchase or eminent domain, and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed rail system. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, authorizes $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail development and other related purposes." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20152016" identifier: "SB 940" citation: "California SB 940 (20152016)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["High-Speed Rail Authority: eminent domain: right of first refusal."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Vidak"] version_count: 6 action_count: 26 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2016-02-03" last_action: "2016-08-22" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/299b12de-12b5-49b0-a96e-c270fb273a5c" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940" source_hash: "2febb3f846c689bf31d2422211b1ca9696d788801803be713319b7ad36b614cd" 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 940 (20152016) — High-Speed Rail Authority: eminent domain: right of first refusal. Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers, including the power to acquire rights-of-way through purchase or eminent domain, and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed rail system. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, authorizes $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail development and other related purposes. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/03/16 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940&version=20150SB94099INT) 2. **03/09/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940&version=20150SB94098AMD) 3. **04/12/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940&version=20150SB94097AMD) 4. **08/22/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940&version=20150SB94095CHP) 5. **SB940** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940) 6. **08/05/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB940&version=20150SB94096ENR) ## Votes - 3rd Reading (Urgency Clause) — **38–0** (pass) · upper - Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **15–0** (pass) · lower - SB 940 Vidak Consent Calendar Second Day — **77–0** (pass) · lower - Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **18–0** (pass) · lower - Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **6–0** (pass) · upper - Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] — **10–0** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Vidak — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2016-02-03** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1` - **2016-02-04** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 5. - **2016-02-18** Referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee` - **2016-03-09** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1` - **2016-03-16** Re-referred to Coms. on T. & H. and JUD. `referral-committee` - **2016-03-24** Set for hearing April 12. - **2016-04-06** April 12 hearing postponed by committee. - **2016-04-07** Set for hearing April 19. - **2016-04-12** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on T. & H. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1` - **2016-04-20** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 3615.) (April 19). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2016-04-21** Set for hearing May 3. - **2016-05-04** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3766.) (May 3). 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` - **2016-05-23** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 3927.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2016-05-23** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1` - **2016-06-01** Referred to Coms. on TRANS. and JUD. `referral-committee` - **2016-06-14** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2016-06-29** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (June 29). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2016-06-30** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2016-08-04** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 5719.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2016-08-04** In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. - **2016-08-10** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 10 a.m. - **2016-08-22** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2016-08-22** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 169, Statutes of 2016. ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/299b12de-12b5-49b0-a96e-c270fb273a5c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).