Physicians and surgeons: medical records.
This bill requires that patient notes be exclusively managed by the physician who created them. It also states there will be no state reimbursement for local costs arising from this mandate.
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AB 1637 — Physicians and surgeons: medical records.
Last action — Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Assembly
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✓Passed Senate
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 26, 2026. It awaits signature.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
ModerateHow often bills like it became law.
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To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 6 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.
In plain language
The bill mandates that only physicians can alter their own patient notes.
This bill requires that patient notes be exclusively managed by the physician who created them. It also states there will be no state reimbursement for local costs arising from this mandate.
What this means for you
- Healthcare: This means healthcare providers must ensure their patient records are accurately maintained and only modified by themselves.
Summary
Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California to license and regulate the practice of medicine. A violation of the act is a crime, unless otherwise specified. Existing law makes it unprofessional conduct for a failure of a physician and surgeon to maintain adequate and accurate records relating to the provision of services to their patients for at least 7 years after the last date of service to a patient. This bill would state that a physician and surgeon's patient notes, as defined, shall be the responsibility of that physician and surgeon. The bill would prohibit a physician and surgeon's patient notes from being altered, modified, or edited in any fashion by anyone other than the authoring physician and surgeon, except as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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
- Chaptered 09/27/26 - Chaptered html September 27, 2026
- Enrolled 08/19/26 - Enrolled html August 19, 2026
- Amended 04/08/26 - Amended Assembly Current pdf April 08, 2026
- Introduced 01/26/26 - Introduced pdf January 26, 2026
- AB1637 View text html
Action History
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Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
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In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
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Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).
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Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
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From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
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In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
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Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 4962.)
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Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 22).
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Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Read second time and amended.
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From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 19. Noes 0.) (April 7).
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Referred to Com. on B. & P.
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From printer. May be heard in committee February 26.
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Read first time. To print.
Sponsors
- Jessica Caloza · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Caloza, Jessica Democratic
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.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Allen | — | Yea |
| Gonzalez | — | Yea |
| Ochoa Bogh | — | Yea |
| Pérez | — | Yea |
| Rubio | — | Yea |
| Weber Pierson | — | Yea |
| Archuleta, Bob | Democratic | Yea |
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Ashby, Angelique V. | Democratic | Yea |
| Becker, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Blakespear, Catherine S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cervantes, Sabrina | Democratic | Yea |
| Cortese, Dave | Democratic | Yea |
| Durazo, Maria Elena | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Hurtado, Melissa | Democratic | Yea |
| 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 |
| Reyes, Eloise Gómez | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola | Democratic | Yea |
| Stern, Henry I. | Democratic | Yea |
| Umberg, Thomas J. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarado-Gil, Marie | Republican | Yea |
| Choi, Steven S. | Republican | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Yea |
| Grove, Shannon | Republican | Yea |
| Jones, Brian W. | Republican | Yea |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Yea |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Yea |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Valladares, Suzette Martinez | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 0% | 0% | 9% |
How each member voted (11)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Archuleta, Bob | Democratic | Yea |
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Menjivar, Caroline | Democratic | Yea |
| Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola | Democratic | Yea |
| Umberg, Thomas J. | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Choi, Steven S. | Republican | Yea |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Yea |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 52 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Republican | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 69 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 0% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (80)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ávila Farías | — | Yea |
| Addis, Dawn | Democratic | Yea |
| Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarez, David | Democratic | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Bains, Jasmeet | Democratic | Yea |
| Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca | Democratic | Yea |
| Bennett, Steve | Democratic | Yea |
| Berman, Marc | Democratic | Yea |
| Boerner, Tasha | Democratic | Yea |
| Bonta, Mia | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Bryan, Isaac G. | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Carrillo, Juan | Democratic | Yea |
| Connolly, Damon | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Yea |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| Gabriel, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Garcia, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Gipson, Mike A. | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Harabedian, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Hart, Gregg | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Irwin, Jacqui | Democratic | Yea |
| Jackson, Corey A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Kalra, Ash | Democratic | Yea |
| Krell, Maggy | Democratic | Yea |
| Lee, Alex | Democratic | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| McKinnor, Tina | Democratic | Yea |
| Muratsuchi, Al | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Ortega, Liz | Democratic | Yea |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Papan, Diane | Democratic | Yea |
| Patel, Darshana R. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Petrie-Norris, Cottie | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Quirk-Silva, Sharon | Democratic | Yea |
| Ramos, James C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ransom, Rhodesia | Democratic | Yea |
| Rivas, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Celeste | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Rodriguez, Michelle | Democratic | Yea |
| Rogers, Chris | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Blanca E. | Democratic | Yea |
| Schiavo, Pilar | Democratic | Yea |
| Schultz, Nick | Democratic | Yea |
| Sharp-Collins, LaShae | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Soria, Esmeralda | Democratic | Yea |
| Stefani, Catherine | Democratic | Yea |
| Valencia, Avelino | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Ward, Christopher M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Wilson, Lori D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Zbur, Rick Chavez | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Yea |
| Castillo, Leticia | Republican | Yea |
| Chen, Phillip | Republican | Not Voting |
| Davies, Laurie | Republican | Yea |
| DeMaio, Carl | Republican | Yea |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Yea |
| Ellis, Stan | Republican | Yea |
| Flora, Heath | Republican | Not Voting |
| Gallagher, James | Republican | Yea |
| Gonzalez, Jeff | Republican | Yea |
| Hadwick, Heather | Republican | Yea |
| Hoover, Josh | Republican | Not Voting |
| Johnson, Natasha | Republican | Yea |
| Lackey, Tom | Republican | Yea |
| Macedo, Alexandra | Republican | Yea |
| Patterson, Joe | Republican | Yea |
| Sanchez, Kate | Republican | Yea |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Yea |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Yea |
| Wallis, Greg | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 87% | 0% | 0% | 13% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Krell, Maggy | Democratic | Yea |
| Muratsuchi, Al | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Yea |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Yea |
| Hoover, Josh | Republican | Yea |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Yea |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (19)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Addis, Dawn | Democratic | Yea |
| Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Bains, Jasmeet | Democratic | Yea |
| Berman, Marc | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Hart, Gregg | Democratic | Yea |
| Irwin, Jacqui | Democratic | Yea |
| Jackson, Corey A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Yea |
| Chen, Phillip | Republican | Yea |
| Hadwick, Heather | Republican | Yea |
| Johnson, Natasha | Republican | Yea |
| Macedo, Alexandra | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does AB 1637 do?
- Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California to license and regulate the practice of medicine. A violation of the act is a crime, unless otherwise specified. Existing law makes it unprofessional conduct for a failure of a physician and surgeon to maintain adequate and accurate records relating to the provision of services to their patients for at least 7 years after the last date of service to a patient. This bill would state that a physician and surgeon's patient notes, as defined, shall be the responsibility of that physician and surgeon. The bill would prohibit a physician and surgeon's patient notes from being altered, modified, or edited in any fashion by anyone other than the authoring physician and surgeon, except as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 1637?
- AB 1637 is sponsored by Caloza, Jessica (Democratic).
- What is the current status of AB 1637?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 26, 2026. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track AB 1637?
- Track AB 1637 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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