California 20252026 Regular Session Status: To Executive Bipartisan · 4 D · 1 R cosponsors

AB 1546 — Vehicles: driving under the influence.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 444, Statutes of 2026.

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

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 05, 2026. It awaits signature.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 88% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (4 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

  • 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

This bill increases penalties for repeat DUI offenders in California.

The bill modifies existing laws regarding DUI convictions, allowing for increased penalties based on the number of prior offenses. It makes repeat DUI offenses more severely punishable as either misdemeanors or felonies, depending on the number of violations.

What this means for you
  • Workers: If you drive for work, increased penalties for repeat DUI offenses may affect your employment status or ability to legally drive.

Summary

Under existing law, if a person is convicted of either driving under the influence (DUI) of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug or driving while having 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in the person's blood within 10 years of 2 separate violations of specified DUI offenses, or any combination thereof, that resulted in convictions, that person has committed an offense punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 120 days nor more than one year and by a fine, as specified. This bill would, instead, make the above DUI conviction punishable as a wobbler by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 120 days nor more than one year and by a fine, as specified, or by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years and a fine, as specified. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, if a person is convicted of DUI and the offense occurred within 10 years of 3 or more separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions, that person has committed an offense punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony. This bill would, instead, make the above DUI conviction punishable as a wobbler if the offense occurred within 10 years of 3 separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions, and punishable as a felony by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years and a fine, as specified, if the offense occurred within 10 years of 4 or more separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make conforming changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 23546, 23550, and 23550.5 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 1830 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1830 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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

What changed in the latest version

1 added · 1 removed

Plain-language change summary

AB 1546 has been updated to include an additional section that clarifies its intent and purpose. This change is important because it helps ensure that anyone reading the bill will better understand its goals and how it aims to impact the community. Overall, these adjustments can improve transparency and effectiveness in addressing the issues the bill seeks to tackle.

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Latest
20250AB__154697ENR 97 INTRODUCED 2026-01-05 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-08-28 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2026-08-31 PASSED_SENATE 2026-08-31 ENROLLED 2026-09-04 2025 0 AB 1546 ENR Introduced by Assembly Member Schultz (Principal coauthors:
20250AB__154696CHP 96 INTRODUCED 2026-01-05 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-08-28 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2026-08-31 PASSED_SENATE 2026-08-31 ENROLLED 2026-09-04 CHAPTERED 2026-09-25 APPROVED 2026-09-25 FILED 2026-09-25 2025 0 AB 1546 CHP 2026 CHP 0 444 Introduced by Assembly Member Schultz (Principal coauthors:
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Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 444, Statutes of 2026.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1:30 p.m.

  4. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 7053.).

  5. Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Page 7053.)

  6. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  7. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

  8. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  9. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  10. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  11. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

  12. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  13. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  14. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  15. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  16. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 5185.)

  17. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  18. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

  19. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  20. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 3). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  21. Coauthors revised.

  22. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  23. From printer. May be heard in committee February 5.

  24. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 117 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (117)

117 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 117 →

"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

AB 1546 Schultz Assembly Third Reading

Passed 72 Yea · 0 Nay · 8 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 18002
Democratic 53006
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 72008
% of votes cast 90%0%0%10%
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 Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Not Voting
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Caloza, Jessica Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Connolly, Damon Democratic Yea
Elhawary, Sade Democratic Not Voting
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Garcia, Robert Democratic Not Voting
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Haney, Matt Democratic Yea
Harabedian, John Democratic Yea
Hart, Gregg Democratic Yea
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 Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Not Voting
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 Yea
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
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 Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Gonzalez, Jeff Republican Yea
Hadwick, Heather Republican Yea
Hoover, Josh Republican Yea
Johnson, Natasha Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Not Voting
Macedo, Alexandra Republican Yea
Patterson, Joe Republican Yea
Sanchez, Kate Republican Yea
Ta, Tri Republican Yea
Tangipa, David J. Republican Yea
Wallis, Greg Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass.

Passed 15 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 4000
Democratic 11000
Total 15000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Caloza, Jessica Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Krell, Maggy Democratic Yea
Pacheco, Blanca Democratic Yea
Pellerin, Gail Democratic Yea
Sharp-Collins, LaShae 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

Official roll call →

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

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 6001
Republican 2000
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
González, Mark Democratic Yea
Haney, Matt Democratic Yea
Harabedian, John Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Not Voting
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Schultz, Nick Democratic Yea
Wilson, Lori D. Democratic Yea
Alanis, Juan Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety labor
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 1546 do?
Under existing law, if a person is convicted of either driving under the influence (DUI) of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug or driving while having 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in the person's blood within 10 years of 2 separate violations of specified DUI offenses, or any combination thereof, that resulted in convictions, that person has committed an offense punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 120 days nor more than one year and by a fine, as specified. This bill would, instead, make the above DUI conviction punishable as a wobbler by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 120 days nor more than one year and by a fine, as specified, or by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years and a fine, as specified. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, if a person is convicted of DUI and the offense occurred within 10 years of 3 or more separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions, that person has committed an offense punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony. This bill would, instead, make the above DUI conviction punishable as a wobbler if the offense occurred within 10 years of 3 separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions, and punishable as a felony by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years and a fine, as specified, if the offense occurred within 10 years of 4 or more separate violations for driving under the influence that resulted in specified convictions. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make conforming changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 23546, 23550, and 23550.5 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 1830 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1830 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 1546?
AB 1546 is sponsored by Petrie-Norris, Cottie (Democratic), Wilson, Lori D. (Democratic), Alanis, Juan (Republican), Schultz, Nick (Democratic), and González, Mark (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 1546?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 05, 2026. It awaits signature.
Where can I track AB 1546?
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