California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: transit projects.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment.
California SB 71 (20252026) — California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: transit projects.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
3rd Reading SB71 Wiener et al. — 36–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Transportation] — 8–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 12–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass as amended — 5–0 (pass) · upper
Unfinished Business SB71 Wiener et al. Concurrence — 39–0 (pass) · upper
SB 71 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Ward — 78–1 (pass) · lower
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 12–0 (pass) · upper
Placed on suspense file — 7–0 (pass) · upper
Sponsors
Wiener — primary (person)
Arreguín — coauthor (person)
Chen — coauthor (person)
Lee — coauthor (person)
Ward — coauthor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2025-01-14 Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. introduction, reading-1
2025-01-15 From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 14.
2025-01-29 Referred to Coms. on E.Q. and TRANS. referral-committee
2025-03-07 Set for hearing March 19.
2025-03-13 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.Q. amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-03-24 From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 421.) (March 19). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-03-25 Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-03-28 Set for hearing April 8.
2025-04-09 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0. Page 710.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee
2025-04-10 Set for hearing April 21.
2025-04-16 April 21 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-04-17 Set for hearing April 28.
2025-04-28 April 28 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-16 Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1190.) (May 23). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-23 Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
2025-05-27 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2025-05-29 Read third time and amended. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-05-29 Ordered to second reading.
2025-06-02 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2025-06-03 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1451.) Ordered to the Assembly. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-06-04 In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. reading-1
2025-06-09 Referred to Com. on NAT. RES. referral-committee
2025-06-30 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-07-03 July 7 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-07-17 Assembly Rule 63 suspended.
2025-07-17 (Ayes 49. Noes 15. Page 2578.)
2025-07-17 From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (July 14). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-07-17 Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-08-20 August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (August 29). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-02 Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
2025-09-03 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2025-09-09 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 1. Page 3082.) Ordered to the Senate. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-09-09 In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-10 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2820.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-17 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-10-13 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2025-10-13 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 742, Statutes of 2025. became-law
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/d30d98d9-e7dd-4c96-a3a6-14db32ba6172. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).