California 20252026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 1 D cosponsors

SB 29 — Civil actions: decedent's cause of action.

Last action — Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced December 02, 2024. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Assembly.

Prognosis

Advancing 48% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 5 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Existing law provides that a cause of action that survives the death of the person entitled to commence an action or proceeding passes to the decedent's successor in interest and an action may be commenced by the decedent's personal representative or, if none, by the decedent's successor in interest. Existing law provides that the damages recoverable in that action or proceeding include the loss or damage that the decedent sustained or incurred before death, including any penalties or punitive or exemplary damages that the decedent would have been entitled to recover had the decedent lived. Existing law also permits damages for a decedent's pain, suffering, or disfigurement to be recovered in an action brought by the decedent's personal representative or successor in interest if the action or proceeding was granted a specified preference before January 1, 2022, or was filed on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2026. Existing law requires a plaintiff who recovers damages for pain, suffering, or disfigurement between specified dates to submit to the Judicial Council a copy of the judgment, consent judgment, or court-approved settlement agreement entitling the plaintiff to the damages and a cover sheet containing specified information. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to transmit to the Legislature a report detailing this information, as specified. This bill would extend the time frame for a decedent's personal representative or successor in interest to file an action to recover damages for a decedent's pain, suffering, or disfigurement to January 1, 2027. The bill would extend the requirement that a plaintiff who recovers such damages report specified information about the action to the Judicial Council to include damages recovered through July 31, 2026. The bill would authorize any party to an action to submit the required information to the Judicial Council. The bill would extend to January 1, 2027, the deadline for the Judicial Council to submit a report to the Legislature and would change the period covered by the report to January 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry.

  2. Ordered to third reading.

  3. Withdrawn from committee.

  4. Assembly Rule 96 suspended. (Ayes 55. Noes 18. Page 3163.)

  5. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  6. August 29 hearing postponed by committee.

  7. August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  8. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  9. Coauthors revised.

  10. Referred to Com. on JUD.

  11. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  12. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 21. Noes 10. Page 1516.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  13. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  14. Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  15. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1188.) (May 23).

  16. Set for hearing May 23.

  17. April 21 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  18. Set for hearing April 21.

  19. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 2. Page 609.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  20. Set for hearing April 1.

  21. Referred to Coms. on JUD. and APPR.

  22. From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 2.

  23. Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 13 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 9 Yea · 3 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 9000
Republican 0300
Total 9300
% of votes cast 75%25%0%0%
How each member voted (12)
Member Party Vote
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Connolly, Damon Democratic Yea
Harabedian, John Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Papan, Diane Democratic Yea
Stefani, Catherine Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Dixon, Diane Republican Nay
Macedo, Alexandra Republican Nay
Sanchez, Kate Republican Nay

Official roll call →

3rd Reading

Passed 21 Yea · 10 Nay · 9 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 21009
Republican 01000
Total 211009
% of votes cast 53%25%0%23%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Not Voting
Arreguín, Jesse Democratic Yea
Ashby, Angelique V. Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Blakespear, Catherine S. Democratic Yea
Cabaldon, Christopher Democratic Not Voting
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Not Voting
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Not Voting
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Not Voting
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
McNerney, Jerry Democratic Yea
Menjivar, Caroline Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Pérez, Sasha Renée Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Not Voting
Richardson, Laura Democratic Not Voting
Rubio, Susan Democratic Not Voting
Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wahab, Aisha Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Not Voting
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Alvarado-Gil, Marie Republican Nay
Choi, Steven S. Republican Nay
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Niello, Roger W. Republican Nay
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Nay
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Nay
Strickland, Tony Republican Nay
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 9 Yea · 2 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 9002
Republican 0200
Total 9202
% of votes cast 69%15%0%15%
How each member voted (13)
Member Party Vote
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Arreguín, Jesse Democratic Yea
Ashby, Angelique V. Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Not Voting
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wahab, Aisha Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Not Voting
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Niello, Roger W. Republican Nay
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 29 do?
Existing law provides that a cause of action that survives the death of the person entitled to commence an action or proceeding passes to the decedent's successor in interest and an action may be commenced by the decedent's personal representative or, if none, by the decedent's successor in interest. Existing law provides that the damages recoverable in that action or proceeding include the loss or damage that the decedent sustained or incurred before death, including any penalties or punitive or exemplary damages that the decedent would have been entitled to recover had the decedent lived. Existing law also permits damages for a decedent's pain, suffering, or disfigurement to be recovered in an action brought by the decedent's personal representative or successor in interest if the action or proceeding was granted a specified preference before January 1, 2022, or was filed on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2026. Existing law requires a plaintiff who recovers damages for pain, suffering, or disfigurement between specified dates to submit to the Judicial Council a copy of the judgment, consent judgment, or court-approved settlement agreement entitling the plaintiff to the damages and a cover sheet containing specified information. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to transmit to the Legislature a report detailing this information, as specified. This bill would extend the time frame for a decedent's personal representative or successor in interest to file an action to recover damages for a decedent's pain, suffering, or disfigurement to January 1, 2027. The bill would extend the requirement that a plaintiff who recovers such damages report specified information about the action to the Judicial Council to include damages recovered through July 31, 2026. The bill would authorize any party to an action to submit the required information to the Judicial Council. The bill would extend to January 1, 2027, the deadline for the Judicial Council to submit a report to the Legislature and would change the period covered by the report to January 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026.
Who sponsors SB 29?
SB 29 is sponsored by Laird, John (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 29?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced December 02, 2024. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 29?
Track SB 29 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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