republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-1988.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Stray animals: availability for adoption or release."
description: "Existing law requires a public or private shelter to release an impounded stray dog or cat to a nonprofit, as defined, animal rescue or adoption organization if requested by the organization before the scheduled euthanasia of that animal, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a puppy or kitten under 8 weeks of age that is reasonably believed to be unowned and is impounded in a public or private shelter to, before the euthanasia of that animal, be made immediately available for release to a nonprofit animal rescue or adoption organization if requested by the organization, and authorizes a puppy or kitten relinquished to a public or private shelter by the purported owner, or brought in by any other person with authority to relinquish it, to be available immediately for adoption. Existing law requires that a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, potbellied pig, bird, lizard, snake, turtle, or tortoise that is legally allowed as personal property and that is impounded in a public or private shelter be held with the same opportunities for redemption and adoption by new owners or nonprofit animal rescue or adoption organizations as provided for dogs and cats, as specified."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 1988"
citation: "California AB 1988 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Stray animals", "availability for adoption or release"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Muratsuchi"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 17
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2024-01-30"
last_action: "2024-07-15"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/80a794e3-455a-4553-adf2-98e62e87055d"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1988"
source_hash: "8504c62474ba369dc32b596ebde49ad7fedac0920a37dba0ed29c8616615b2ae"
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 1988 (20232024) — Stray animals: availability for adoption or release.

Existing law requires a public or private shelter to release an impounded stray dog or cat to a nonprofit, as defined, animal rescue or adoption organization if requested by the organization before the scheduled euthanasia of that animal, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a puppy or kitten under 8 weeks of age that is reasonably believed to be unowned and is impounded in a public or private shelter to, before the euthanasia of that animal, be made immediately available for release to a nonprofit animal rescue or adoption organization if requested by the organization, and authorizes a puppy or kitten relinquished to a public or private shelter by the purported owner, or brought in by any other person with authority to relinquish it, to be available immediately for adoption. Existing law requires that a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, potbellied pig, bird, lizard, snake, turtle, or tortoise that is legally allowed as personal property and that is impounded in a public or private shelter be held with the same opportunities for redemption and adoption by new owners or nonprofit animal rescue or adoption organizations as provided for dogs and cats, as specified.

## Version chain

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

1. **01/30/24 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1988&version=20230AB198899INT)
2. **07/15/24 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1988&version=20230AB198897CHP)
3. **AB1988** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1988)
4. **06/25/24 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1988&version=20230AB198898ENR)

## Votes

- Consent Calendar 2nd — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **18–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **13–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 1988 Muratsuchi Consent Calendar Second Day — **73–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Muratsuchi — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-30** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2024-01-31** From printer. May be heard in committee March 1.
- **2024-02-12** Referred to Com. on B. & P. `referral-committee`
- **2024-04-09** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-04-24** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 24). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-25** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-05-02** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 5087.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-05-02** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2024-05-15** Referred to Com. on B., P. & E. D. `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-03** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 3). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-17** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2024-06-18** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-06-20** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 4626.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-06-20** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2024-07-01** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2024-07-15** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2024-07-15** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 96, Statutes of 2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/80a794e3-455a-4553-adf2-98e62e87055d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).