The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to permit private, nonprofit, eligible organizations to conduct raffles as a funding mechanism to support beneficial and charitable works, if, among other conditions, at least 90% of the gross receipts from the raffle go directly to beneficial or charitable purposes in California. The California Constitution further authorizes the Legislature to amend the percentage of gross receipts required to be dedicated to beneficial or charitable purposes by a statute passed by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature. Existing statutory law implements those provisions and requires the Department of Justice to administer and enforce those provisions.
California SB 549 (20152016) — Charitable raffles.
The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to permit private, nonprofit, eligible organizations to conduct raffles as a funding mechanism to support beneficial and charitable works, if, among other conditions, at least 90% of the gross receipts from the raffle go directly to beneficial or charitable purposes in California. The California Constitution further authorizes the Legislature to amend the percentage of gross receipts required to be dedicated to beneficial or charitable purposes by a statute passed by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature. Existing statutory law implements those provisions and requires the Department of Justice to administer and enforce those provisions.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 18–0 (pass) · lower
Unfinished Business SB549 Hall Concurrence — 37–2 (pass) · upper
3rd Reading — 38–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass as amended. — 17–0 (pass) · lower
Placed on suspense file — 7–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety] — 10–0 (pass) · upper
SB 549 Hall Senate Third Reading By JONES-SAWYER — 64–7 (pass) · lower
Sponsors
Hall — primary (person)
Gray — coauthor (person)
Jones-Sawyer — coauthor (person)
Mendoza — coauthor (person)
Stone — coauthor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2015-02-26 Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. introduction, reading-1
2015-02-27 From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 29.
2015-03-12 Referred to Coms. on G.O. and PUB. S. referral-committee
2015-03-17 Set for hearing April 14.
2015-04-14 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 592.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2015-04-20 Withdrawn from committee.
2015-04-20 Re-referred to Com. on APPR. referral-committee
2015-04-24 Set for hearing May 4.
2015-04-28 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1
2015-04-28 May 4 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2015-05-01 Set for hearing May 11.
2015-05-11 May 11 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2015-05-23 Set for hearing May 28.
2015-06-01 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 1156.) (May 28). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage
2015-06-02 Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1
2015-06-03 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1298.) Ordered to the Assembly. reading-3, passage, reading-1
2015-06-04 In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. reading-1
2015-06-18 Referred to Com. on G.O. referral-committee
2015-06-23 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O. referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1
2015-07-09 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2015-08-19 August 19 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2015-08-28 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (August 27). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage
2015-08-28 Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1
2015-08-31 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-2, reading-1
2015-09-02 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 64. Noes 7. Page 2783.) Ordered to the Senate. reading-3, passage, reading-1
2015-09-02 In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2015-09-03 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 2. Page 2444.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage
2015-09-09 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
2015-10-05 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2015-10-05 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 509, Statutes of 2015.
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/443b7d8a-3bfb-4b0b-957a-d0865ebd22b0. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).