---
type: "Bill"
title: "Use Fuel Tax Law: Diesel Fuel Tax Law: exempt bus operation."
description: "The Use Fuel Tax Law imposes a state excise tax at specified rates, generally $0.18 per gallon, on the use of fuel, as defined, and establishes various exemptions from those taxes, including an exemption for any transit district, transit authority, or city owning and operating a local transit system, as provided."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20252026"
identifier: "SB 359"
citation: "California SB 359 (20252026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["DieselFuelTaxLaw", "UseFuelTaxLaw", "exemptbusoperation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Niello"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 27
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2025-02-13"
last_action: "2025-10-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/27f3d7ea-ab03-42ae-a21c-adcb27b8f437"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359"
source_hash: "f0c9e3b562ebad1638e402c5525bde1ecaa5ce9c4bf0f0a2211cc0a5c1ab401e"
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 359 (20252026) — Use Fuel Tax Law: Diesel Fuel Tax Law: exempt bus operation.

The Use Fuel Tax Law imposes a state excise tax at specified rates, generally $0.18 per gallon, on the use of fuel, as defined, and establishes various exemptions from those taxes, including an exemption for any transit district, transit authority, or city owning and operating a local transit system, as provided.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/13/25 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359&version=20250SB35999INT)
2. **04/08/25 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359&version=20250SB35998AMD)
3. **06/26/25 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359&version=20250SB35997AMD)
4. **10/01/25 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359&version=20250SB35995CHP)
5. **SB359** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359)
6. **09/12/25 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB359&version=20250SB35996ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- Unfinished Business SB359 Niello Concurrence — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 359 Niello Senate Third Reading By Patterson — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- Special Consent — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **15–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Niello — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-13** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-02-14** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 16.
- **2025-02-26** Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-18** Set for hearing May 14.
- **2025-04-08** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2025-05-14** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1082.) (May 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2025-05-15** Set for hearing May 19.
- **2025-05-19** May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2025-05-20** Set for hearing May 23.
- **2025-05-23** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1197.) (May 23). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-23** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2025-05-27** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2025-05-29** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1325.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2025-05-29** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2025-06-05** Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. `referral-committee`
- **2025-06-24** June 23 set for first hearing. Placed on REV. & TAX. suspense file.
- **2025-06-26** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2025-07-15** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2025-08-20** August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2025-08-29** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-09-02** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2025-09-08** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2991.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2025-09-08** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2025-09-10** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2818.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-09-17** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
- **2025-10-01** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2025-10-01** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 217, Statutes of 2025. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/27f3d7ea-ab03-42ae-a21c-adcb27b8f437`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).