California 20252026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

AB 796 — Social media platforms: advertising: tax.

Last action — From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

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

This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced February 18, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Assembly.

Prognosis

Advancing 36% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    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 1 recorded vote 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 imposes various taxes, including a tax on income, the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property, and real property. This bill would impose a tax on a social media platform provider, as defined, equal to an unspecified percentage of the annual gross receipts derived from the purchase of programmatic advertising for distribution on the provider's social media platform, as provided. The bill would require the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to administer the tax pursuant to the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime. By extending the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would create the Social Media Safety Trust Fund within the State Treasury and would require all moneys raised pursuant to these taxes be deposited into the fund. The bill would establish various accounts within the fund and would allocate moneys into those accounts for expenditure according to specified purposes, including an Education Account, Mental Health Care Account, Research and Development Account, and Social Services Account. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund to administer those provisions. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. In committee: Held under submission.

  4. In committee: Set, second hearing. Referred to REV. & TAX. suspense file.

  5. Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.

  6. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on REV. & TAX. Read second time and amended.

  7. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  8. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on REV. & TAX. (Ayes 8. Noes 4.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.

  9. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.

  10. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.

  11. Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and REV. & TAX.

  12. From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  13. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 4 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 [Revenue and Taxation]

Passed 8 Yea · 4 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 8003
Republican 0400
Total 8403
% of votes cast 53%27%0%20%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Not Voting
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
McKinnor, Tina Democratic Yea
Ortega, Liz Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Not Voting
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Not Voting
DeMaio, Carl Republican Nay
Dixon, Diane Republican Nay
Macedo, Alexandra Republican Nay
Patterson, Joe Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

taxation healthcare education
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 AB 796 do?
Existing law imposes various taxes, including a tax on income, the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property, and real property. This bill would impose a tax on a social media platform provider, as defined, equal to an unspecified percentage of the annual gross receipts derived from the purchase of programmatic advertising for distribution on the provider's social media platform, as provided. The bill would require the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to administer the tax pursuant to the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime. By extending the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would create the Social Media Safety Trust Fund within the State Treasury and would require all moneys raised pursuant to these taxes be deposited into the fund. The bill would establish various accounts within the fund and would allocate moneys into those accounts for expenditure according to specified purposes, including an Education Account, Mental Health Care Account, Research and Development Account, and Social Services Account. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund to administer those provisions. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Who sponsors AB 796?
AB 796 is sponsored by Lowenthal, Josh (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 796?
This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced February 18, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track AB 796?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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