---
type: "Bill"
title: "Sentencing: dismissal of enhancements."
description: "Existing law generally authorizes a court to dismiss an action or to strike or dismiss an enhancement in the furtherance of justice."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20212022"
identifier: "SB 81"
citation: "California SB 81 (20212022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Sentencing: dismissal of enhancements."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Skinner"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 36
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2020-12-15"
last_action: "2021-10-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/89a9942f-76f2-4550-a1ad-55e718568218"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81"
source_hash: "345f2704e79588121c09da5d2990f9f72092283e162b33622784fb45a5b55b04"
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 81 (20212022) — Sentencing: dismissal of enhancements.

Existing law generally authorizes a court to dismiss an action or to strike or dismiss an enhancement in the furtherance of justice.

## Version chain

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

1. **12/15/20 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8199INT)
2. **02/08/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8198AMD)
3. **03/23/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8197AMD)
4. **04/08/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8196AMD)
5. **04/27/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8195AMD)
6. **07/01/21 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8194AMD)
7. **08/30/21 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8193AMD)
8. **10/08/21 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8191CHP)
9. **SB81** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81)
10. **09/13/21 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB81&version=20210SB8192ENR)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading — **27–9** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **6–2** (pass) · lower
- SB 81 Skinner Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan — **46–24** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended. — **11–4** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **4–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **5–2** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- Unfinished Business SB81 Skinner et al. Concurrence — **23–11** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Skinner — primary (person)
- Lee — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-12-15** Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction`
- **2020-12-16** From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 15.
- **2021-01-11** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2021-01-28** Referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-08** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-02-17** Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-24** Set for hearing March 16.
- **2021-03-17** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 520.) (March 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2021-03-19** Set for hearing April 5.
- **2021-03-23** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-05** April 5 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2021-04-06** Set for hearing April 19.
- **2021-04-08** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-15** April 19 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2021-04-21** Set for hearing May 3.
- **2021-04-27** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-05-04** May 3 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
- **2021-05-14** Set for hearing May 20.
- **2021-05-20** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 1182.) (May 20). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-20** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-05-26** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 27. Noes 9. Page 1259.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-05-26** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2021-06-03** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-15** June 15 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2021-06-30** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (June 29). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-07-01** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-07-14** July 14 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
- **2021-08-26** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 26). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-08-30** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-08-31** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-09-08** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 46. Noes 24. Page 2941.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-09-08** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2021-09-09** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 23. Noes 11. Page 2553.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-09-17** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-10-08** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2021-10-08** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 721, Statutes of 2021. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/89a9942f-76f2-4550-a1ad-55e718568218`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).