republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-655.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Fish and wildlife: aquatic invasive species: Caulerpa."
description: "Existing law prohibits a person from selling, possessing, importing, transporting, transferring, releasing alive in the state, or giving away without consideration the salt water algae of enumerated Caulerpa species, except possession for bona fide scientific research, as provided. Existing law subjects any person who violates these provisions to a specified civil penalty and to specified infraction or misdemeanor penalties."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 655"
citation: "California AB 655 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Caulerpa", "Fish and wildlife", "aquatic invasive species"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Petrie-Norris"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 20
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2023-02-09"
last_action: "2023-07-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a425d8e8-4be5-404d-a543-8ee838f93424"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655"
source_hash: "c42c80810ccba18cb6e3fd78fc213cd1886d60c767a9d82511e69948ec087130"
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 655 (20232024) — Fish and wildlife: aquatic invasive species: Caulerpa.

Existing law prohibits a person from selling, possessing, importing, transporting, transferring, releasing alive in the state, or giving away without consideration the salt water algae of enumerated Caulerpa species, except possession for bona fide scientific research, as provided. Existing law subjects any person who violates these provisions to a specified civil penalty and to specified infraction or misdemeanor penalties.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/09/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655&version=20230AB65599INT)
2. **02/23/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655&version=20230AB65598AMD)
3. **07/27/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655&version=20230AB65596CHP)
4. **AB655** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655)
5. **07/14/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB655&version=20230AB65597ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **11–0** (pass) · upper
- Consent Calendar AB655 Petrie-Norris — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 655 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day — **79–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Petrie-Norris — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-09** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2023-02-10** From printer. May be heard in committee March 12.
- **2023-02-23** Referred to Com. on W., P., & W. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W., P., & W. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-02-27** Re-referred to Com. on W., P., & W. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (March 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-19** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 19). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-20** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-04-27** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1364.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-04-27** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2023-05-10** Referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-07** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-06-22** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-07-03** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2023-07-05** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-07-13** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2036.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-07-13** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2023-07-25** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2023-07-27** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-07-27** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 119, 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/a425d8e8-4be5-404d-a543-8ee838f93424`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).