---
type: "Bill"
title: "Energy: net energy metering."
description: "Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every electric utility, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer‑generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer‑generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Existing law requires the electric utility, upon an affirmative election by the eligible customer-generator to receive service pursuant to this contract or tariff, to either: (1) provide net surplus electricity compensation for any net surplus electricity generated in the 12-month period, or (2) allow the eligible customer-generator to apply the net surplus electricity as a credit for kilowatthours subsequently supplied by the electric utility to the surplus customer-generator."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20112012"
identifier: "SB 594"
citation: "California SB 594 (20112012)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Energy: net energy metering."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Wolk"]
version_count: 11
action_count: 37
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2011-02-17"
last_action: "2012-09-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f9c6f5c5-817d-460c-8ce1-e6c80aee19c3"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594"
source_hash: "2eb61eb139da13766457aae81cf5e7c506f9daafc153a381e19690350a9aaa7b"
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 594 (20112012) — Energy: net energy metering.

Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every electric utility, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer‑generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer‑generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Existing law requires the electric utility, upon an affirmative election by the eligible customer-generator to receive service pursuant to this contract or tariff, to either: (1) provide net surplus electricity compensation for any net surplus electricity generated in the 12-month period, or (2) allow the eligible customer-generator to apply the net surplus electricity as a credit for kilowatthours subsequently supplied by the electric utility to the surplus customer-generator.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/17/11 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59499INT)
2. **03/01/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59495AMD)
3. **04/28/11 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59498AMD)
4. **05/11/11 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59497AMD)
5. **05/15/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59494AMD)
6. **05/25/11 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59496AMD)
7. **08/06/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59493AMD)
8. **08/23/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59492AMD)
9. **09/27/12 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59490CHP)
10. **SB594** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594)
11. **09/10/12 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB594&version=20110SB59491ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **6–3** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **6–3** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **13–0** (pass) · lower
- Be referred to Committee on Utilities and Commerce. — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 594 Wolk Senate Third Reading By WILLIAMS — **58–10** (pass) · lower
- Unfinished Supp 3 SB594 Wolk Concurrence — **21–12** (pass) · upper
- From committee: That the Assembly Amendments be concurred in. — **4–2** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading — **23–14** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Wolk — primary (person)
- Blakeslee — author (person)
- Gordon — coauthor (person)
- Hill — coauthor (person)
- Leno — coauthor (person)
- Rubio — coauthor (person)
- Valadao — coauthor (person)
- Williams — coauthor (person)
- Yamada — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2011-02-17** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2011-02-18** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 20.
- **2011-03-03** Referred to Com. on HEALTH. `referral-committee`
- **2011-04-15** Set for hearing May 4.
- **2011-04-28** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. `reading-2, reading-1, committee-passage, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-05-10** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 3. Page 885.) (May 4). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-11** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-05-13** Set for hearing May 23.
- **2011-05-23** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 3. Page 1086.) (May 23). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-24** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-05-25** Read third time and amended. `reading-3, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2011-05-25** Ordered to second reading.
- **2011-05-26** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-06-01** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 23. Noes 14. Page 1216.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2011-06-02** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2011-06-09** Referred to Com. on HEALTH. `referral-committee`
- **2012-03-01** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. `reading-2, reading-1, committee-passage, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2012-03-22** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2012-05-07** From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on U. & C. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (May 7). Re-referred to Com. on U. & C. `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2012-05-15** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on U. & C. `reading-2, reading-1, committee-passage, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2012-06-18** Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2012-07-05** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 25). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2012-08-06** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2012-08-06** Joint Rule 62(a) file notice suspended. (Page 5751.)
- **2012-08-09** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (August 8). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2012-08-13** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2012-08-23** Read third time and amended. (Page 6174.) `reading-3, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2012-08-23** Ordered to third reading.
- **2012-08-30** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 58. Noes 10. Page 6667.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2012-08-30** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2012-08-31** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10. `referral-committee`
- **2012-08-31** From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on APPR. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 5054.) Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2012-08-31** From committee: That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 4. Noes 2. Page 5130.) `committee-passage`
- **2012-08-31** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 21. Noes 12. Page 5016.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2012-09-11** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
- **2012-09-27** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2012-09-27** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 610, Statutes of 2012.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f9c6f5c5-817d-460c-8ce1-e6c80aee19c3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).