republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-2879.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "High-Speed Rail Authority: contracting."
description: "The California High-Speed Rail Act creates the High-Speed Rail Authority, composed of 11 members, to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. The act authorizes the authority to enter into contracts with private or public entities for the design, construction, and operation of high-speed trains. The act requires the authority to appoint an executive director to administer the affairs of the authority as directed by the authority."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 2879"
citation: "California AB 2879 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["High-Speed Rail Authority", "contracting"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lackey"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 21
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-02-15"
last_action: "2024-09-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/efc14564-9580-430a-85c3-b01aaba7a871"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879"
source_hash: "33767552d03950891fa933d5cf49983590d3cde9fe7eef5550020531f15770c7"
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 2879 (20232024) — High-Speed Rail Authority: contracting.

The California High-Speed Rail Act creates the High-Speed Rail Authority, composed of 11 members, to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. The act authorizes the authority to enter into contracts with private or public entities for the design, construction, and operation of high-speed trains. The act requires the authority to appoint an executive director to administer the affairs of the authority as directed by the authority.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/15/24 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879&version=20230AB287999INT)
2. **06/06/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879&version=20230AB287998AMD)
3. **09/14/24 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879&version=20230AB287996CHP)
4. **AB2879** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879)
5. **08/21/24 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2879&version=20230AB287997ENR)

## Votes

- AB 2879 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **75–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Consent Calendar 2nd — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 2879 Vince Fong Consent Calendar Second Day — **71–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lackey — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-02-15** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2024-02-16** From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.
- **2024-03-04** Referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2024-04-09** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-05-15** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 15). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-05-16** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-05-21** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 5446.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-05-22** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2024-05-29** Referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-06** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on RLS. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-12** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-26** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-07-17** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2024-08-12** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2024-08-13** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-08-15** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 5081.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-08-15** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 17 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2024-08-19** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 6364.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-08-26** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2024-09-14** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2024-09-14** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 248, 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/efc14564-9580-430a-85c3-b01aaba7a871`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).