California 20252026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

AB 916 — Safer Soap Act.

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

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  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 19, 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

(1) Existing law prohibits various ingredients in consumer products for the protection of the health of Californians, including, among others, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in juvenile products, textile articles, and food packaging, and intentionally added Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in intravenous solution containers, as specified. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, prohibit a person, as defined, from manufacturing, selling, delivering, distributing, or offering for sale, into commerce in this state consumer body wash and hand soap, as those terms are defined, that contains a prohibited ingredient, which includes substances such as benzalkonium chloride, among others. The bill would not apply to products intended for use in health care facilities. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2028, a manufacturer of hand soap or body wash to register with the Department of Toxic Substances Control and provide, among other things, a registration charge and a statement of compliance with the prohibition. Upon request by the department, the bill would require a manufacturer to provide technical documentation to demonstrate compliance with the prohibition, as specified. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the department to adopt regulations to implement, interpret, enforce, or make specific the above provisions. The bill would require the department to specify by regulation the manner of registering and the amount of the registration charge. This bill would require the department to issue a notice of violation to a person in violation of the prohibition, as specified. The bill would make a violation of these provisions punishable by an administrative or civil penalty of not less than $10,000, as specified. The bill would authorize the Attorney General, on behalf of the department or the people of the state, to bring an action in superior court to obtain an order restraining a person from violating any of these provisions, as specified. The bill would require penalties collected to be deposited in the Safer Soap Act Fund, which the bill would create in the State Treasury, as provided. This bill would make it a crime for a person to willfully prevent, interfere with, or impede the lawful enforcement of these provisions, as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that the department's duties to initiate, implement, or enforce any of these requirements are contingent upon sufficient funds in the Toxic Substances Control Account, as determined by the Department of Finance, and an appropriation by the Legislature for the purposes of implementing and enforcing these requirements. (2) 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: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  4. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  5. Re-referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.

  6. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.S & T.M. Read second time and amended.

  7. Re-referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.

  8. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.S & T.M. Read second time and amended.

  9. Referred to Coms. on E.S & T.M. and HEALTH.

  10. From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  11. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 2 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

Subjects

public-safety environment
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 916 do?
(1) Existing law prohibits various ingredients in consumer products for the protection of the health of Californians, including, among others, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in juvenile products, textile articles, and food packaging, and intentionally added Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in intravenous solution containers, as specified. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, prohibit a person, as defined, from manufacturing, selling, delivering, distributing, or offering for sale, into commerce in this state consumer body wash and hand soap, as those terms are defined, that contains a prohibited ingredient, which includes substances such as benzalkonium chloride, among others. The bill would not apply to products intended for use in health care facilities. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2028, a manufacturer of hand soap or body wash to register with the Department of Toxic Substances Control and provide, among other things, a registration charge and a statement of compliance with the prohibition. Upon request by the department, the bill would require a manufacturer to provide technical documentation to demonstrate compliance with the prohibition, as specified. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the department to adopt regulations to implement, interpret, enforce, or make specific the above provisions. The bill would require the department to specify by regulation the manner of registering and the amount of the registration charge. This bill would require the department to issue a notice of violation to a person in violation of the prohibition, as specified. The bill would make a violation of these provisions punishable by an administrative or civil penalty of not less than $10,000, as specified. The bill would authorize the Attorney General, on behalf of the department or the people of the state, to bring an action in superior court to obtain an order restraining a person from violating any of these provisions, as specified. The bill would require penalties collected to be deposited in the Safer Soap Act Fund, which the bill would create in the State Treasury, as provided. This bill would make it a crime for a person to willfully prevent, interfere with, or impede the lawful enforcement of these provisions, as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that the department's duties to initiate, implement, or enforce any of these requirements are contingent upon sufficient funds in the Toxic Substances Control Account, as determined by the Department of Finance, and an appropriation by the Legislature for the purposes of implementing and enforcing these requirements. (2) 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 916?
AB 916 is sponsored by Lee, Alex (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 916?
This bill is in committee in the Assembly. Introduced February 19, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track AB 916?
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