California 20252026 Regular Session Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

SB 688 — Office of Regulatory Counsel.

Last action — Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

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

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    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 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 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 establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several departments including the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) . Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, governs the procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by state agencies and for the review of those regulatory actions by the OAL. Existing law requires the OAL to provide for the publication of the California Regulatory Notice Register and to include specified information in the register, including notices of proposed action prepared by regulatory agencies, a summary of regulations filed with the Secretary of State, and a summary of regulation decisions issued, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2035, would establish the Office of Regulatory Counsel in state government within the Governor's office, under the direction and control of a director. The bill would require the director to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation of the Senate and for the director's term to be coterminous with that of the appointing power, except as provided. This bill would require the office to draft and assist in the preparation, consideration, amendment, and repeal of regulations for a state agency, before the state agency submits a proposed action regarding that regulation to the OAL for publication in the California Regulatory Notice Register. The bill would make related legislative findings and declarations.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  3. Set for hearing May 23.

  4. April 7 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

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

  6. Set for hearing April 7.

  7. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 531.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  8. Set for hearing March 25.

  9. Referred to Com. on G.O.

  10. Read first time.

  11. From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  12. Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

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

Passed 13 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 10001
Republican 3001
Total 13002
% of votes cast 87%0%0%13%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Ashby, Angelique V. Democratic Yea
Blakespear, Catherine S. Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Richardson, Laura Democratic Yea
Rubio, Susan Democratic Yea
Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola Democratic Not Voting
Wahab, Aisha Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Not Voting
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Yea
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety technology
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 688 do?
Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several departments including the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) . Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, governs the procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by state agencies and for the review of those regulatory actions by the OAL. Existing law requires the OAL to provide for the publication of the California Regulatory Notice Register and to include specified information in the register, including notices of proposed action prepared by regulatory agencies, a summary of regulations filed with the Secretary of State, and a summary of regulation decisions issued, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2035, would establish the Office of Regulatory Counsel in state government within the Governor's office, under the direction and control of a director. The bill would require the director to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation of the Senate and for the director's term to be coterminous with that of the appointing power, except as provided. This bill would require the office to draft and assist in the preparation, consideration, amendment, and repeal of regulations for a state agency, before the state agency submits a proposed action regarding that regulation to the OAL for publication in the California Regulatory Notice Register. The bill would make related legislative findings and declarations.
Who sponsors SB 688?
SB 688 is sponsored by Niello, Roger W. (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 688?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 688?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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