Existing law makes it an infraction to leave a child who is 6 years of age or younger inside a motor vehicle without being subject to supervision of a person who is 12 years of age or older if there are conditions that present a significant risk to the child's health or safety or if the vehicle's engine is running or the vehicle's keys are in the ignition, or both, and makes it a crime to willfully cause or permit a child to suffer, or inflict unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering, or willfully place a child in a situation where their health is endangered. Existing law also makes it a crime to leave or confine an animal in an unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal. Existing law exempts a person from civil liability for property damage or trespass to a motor vehicle if the property damage or trespass occurs while the person is rescuing an animal pursuant to these provisions. Existing law similarly exempts a person from criminal liability for removing an animal from a motor vehicle under circumstances that reasonably could cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal, if certain steps are taken during the removal.
California AB 2717 (20192020) — Motor vehicles: unattended children: liability.
Existing law makes it an infraction to leave a child who is 6 years of age or younger inside a motor vehicle without being subject to supervision of a person who is 12 years of age or older if there are conditions that present a significant risk to the child's health or safety or if the vehicle's engine is running or the vehicle's keys are in the ignition, or both, and makes it a crime to willfully cause or permit a child to suffer, or inflict unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering, or willfully place a child in a situation where their health is endangered. Existing law also makes it a crime to leave or confine an animal in an unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal. Existing law exempts a person from civil liability for property damage or trespass to a motor vehicle if the property damage or trespass occurs while the person is rescuing an animal pursuant to these provisions. Existing law similarly exempts a person from criminal liability for removing an animal from a motor vehicle under circumstances that reasonably could cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal, if certain steps are taken during the removal.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
AB 2717 Chau Concurrence in Senate Amendments — 75–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — 9–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — 18–0 (pass) · lower
Sponsors
Chau — primary (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2020-02-20 Read first time. To print. reading-1
2020-02-21 From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
2020-03-12 Referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee
2020-03-12 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended. reading-1, reading-2, amendment-passage, amendment-introduction
2020-03-16 Re-referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee
2020-05-12 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (May 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee
2020-06-02 From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (June 2). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2020-06-03 Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. reading-1, reading-2
2020-06-08 Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 4728.) passage, reading-3, reading-1
2020-06-09 In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. reading-1
2020-06-23 Referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee
2020-07-31 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee
2020-08-13 From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. committee-passage, reading-2
2020-08-14 Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. reading-1, reading-2
2020-08-19 From Consent Calendar.
2020-08-19 Ordered to third reading.
2020-08-19 Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-3, reading-1
2020-08-20 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2020-08-27 Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 0. Page 4353.). passage, reading-3, reading-1
2020-08-27 In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2020-08-30 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 5343.). amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2020-09-11 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2020-09-30 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2020-09-30 Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 352, Statutes of 2020.
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/3d22ab2c-acc7-46df-a2c0-427e5815d50d. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).
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