---
type: "Bill"
title: "Local government: emergency response services: use of languages other than English."
description: "Existing law requires every local public agency that serves a substantial number of non-English-speaking people to employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions or as interpreters to ensure provision of information and services in the language of the non-English-speaking person. Existing law requires that any materials explaining services available to the public shall be translated into any non-English language spoken by a substantial number of the public served by the agency."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 1638"
citation: "California AB 1638 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Local government", "emergency response services", "use of languages other than English"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mike Fong"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 27
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2023-02-17"
last_action: "2023-10-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ce2bb9bc-7d0e-4747-a29f-48834eda6941"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638"
source_hash: "a96100682a1545270f857a4b3f2ea2d8bf7e44d3bf1233d952282c373ebd05f6"
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 1638 (20232024) — Local government: emergency response services: use of languages other than English.

Existing law requires every local public agency that serves a substantial number of non-English-speaking people to employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions or as interpreters to ensure provision of information and services in the language of the non-English-speaking person. Existing law requires that any materials explaining services available to the public shall be translated into any non-English language spoken by a substantial number of the public served by the agency.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/17/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163899INT)
2. **03/23/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163898AMD)
3. **07/06/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163897AMD)
4. **07/13/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163896AMD)
5. **09/01/23 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163895AMD)
6. **10/08/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163893CHP)
7. **AB1638** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638)
8. **09/11/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1638&version=20230AB163894ENR)

## Votes

- AB 1638 Mike Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **76–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 1638 Mike Fong Assembly Third Reading — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB1638 Mike Fong — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Mike Fong — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-17** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2023-02-18** From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.
- **2023-03-23** Referred to Com. on E.M. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-23** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.M. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-03-27** Re-referred to Com. on E.M. `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-18** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-05-03** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-18** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 18). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-18** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-05-31** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 2038.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-06-01** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2023-06-14** Referred to Com. on GOV. & F. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-21** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-07-06** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on GOV. & F. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-07-13** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 12). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2023-07-13** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-08-14** In committee: Referred to APPR suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2023-09-01** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (September 1). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage`
- **2023-09-01** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-05** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-09-06** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2413.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-09-06** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 8 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2023-09-07** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 3011.)
- **2023-09-07** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 3070.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-13** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
- **2023-10-08** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-10-08** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 587, Statutes of 2023. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ce2bb9bc-7d0e-4747-a29f-48834eda6941`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).