--- type: "Bill" title: "Health emergencies." description: "Existing law authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency, as specified, and the State Public Health Officer to declare a health emergency under certain circumstances, such as the imminent or proximate threat of the introduction of an infectious or communicable disease." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20212022" identifier: "SB 979" citation: "California SB 979 (20212022)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Health emergencies."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Dodd"] version_count: 9 action_count: 32 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2022-02-10" last_action: "2022-09-18" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/845e65e2-2bee-4f3b-8848-546f464b8ef7" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979" source_hash: "75e1379747e0c55cad3fbf8d250837e7cfcc47ef1cc01ee52f5440887941373c" 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 979 (20212022) — Health emergencies. Existing law authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency, as specified, and the State Public Health Officer to declare a health emergency under certain circumstances, such as the imminent or proximate threat of the introduction of an infectious or communicable disease. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/10/22 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97999INT) 2. **04/19/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97998AMD) 3. **05/02/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97997AMD) 4. **05/11/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97996AMD) 5. **06/14/22 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97995AMD) 6. **08/18/22 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97994AMD) 7. **09/18/22 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97992CHP) 8. **SB979** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979) 9. **08/25/22 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB979&version=20210SB97993ENR) ## Votes - 3rd Reading — **36–0** (pass) · upper - Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **10–0** (pass) · upper - Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **15–0** (pass) · lower - Unfinished Business SB979 Dodd Concurrence — **40–0** (pass) · upper - SB 979 Dodd Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry — **77–0** (pass) · lower - Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **15–0** (pass) · lower ## Sponsors - Dodd — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2022-02-10** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1` - **2022-02-10** Article IV Section 8(a) of the Constitution and Joint Rule 55 dispensed with February 7, 2022, suspending the 30 calendar day requirement. - **2022-02-11** From printer. - **2022-02-23** Referred to Com. on HEALTH. `referral-committee` - **2022-03-24** Set for hearing April 6. - **2022-03-24** April 6 hearing postponed by committee. - **2022-04-06** Set for hearing April 27. - **2022-04-19** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee` - **2022-04-28** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 3542.) (April 27). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2022-05-02** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee` - **2022-05-06** Set for hearing May 16. - **2022-05-11** 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` - **2022-05-16** From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. `committee-passage, reading-2` - **2022-05-17** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2` - **2022-05-23** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 3831.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2022-05-24** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1` - **2022-05-27** Referred to Com. on HEALTH. `referral-committee` - **2022-06-14** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee` - **2022-06-14** June 14 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. - **2022-06-22** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee` - **2022-08-03** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 3). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2022-08-04** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-1, reading-2` - **2022-08-08** From consent calendar on motion of Assembly Member Reyes. - **2022-08-08** Ordered to third reading. - **2022-08-18** Read third time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2022-08-18** Ordered to third reading. - **2022-08-22** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 6001.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2022-08-22** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. - **2022-08-23** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5010.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2022-08-30** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. - **2022-09-18** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2022-09-18** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 421, Statutes of 2022. `became-law` ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/845e65e2-2bee-4f3b-8848-546f464b8ef7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).