California 2015-2016 Regular Session Status: Enacted

SB 501 — Wage garnishment restrictions.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 800, Statutes of 2015.

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 26, 2015. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 70% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 5 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

The Wage Garnishment Law prescribes the procedure for withholding an employee's earnings for purposes of paying a debt. The law requires that a levy of execution upon the earnings of an employee be made by service of an earnings withholding order upon the employer. An earnings withholding order is issued by a levying officer upon receiving an application submitted by a judgment creditor, as specified. Existing law prohibits the amount of an individual judgment debtor's weekly disposable earnings subject to levy under an earnings withholding order from exceeding the lesser of 25% of the individual's weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which the individual's disposable earnings for the week exceed 40 times the state minimum hourly wage in effect at the time the earnings are payable, as specified, unless an exception applies. An employer is required, except as otherwise provided by statute, to withhold the amounts required by an earnings withholding order from all earnings of the employee payable for any pay period of the employee which ends during the withholding period. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, reduce the prohibited amount of an individual judgment debtor's weekly disposable earnings subject to levy under an earnings withholding order from exceeding the lesser of 25% of the individual's weekly disposable earnings or 50% of the amount by which the individual's disposable earnings for the week exceed 40 times the state minimum hourly wage, or applicable local minimum hourly wage, if higher, in effect at the time the earnings are payable.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 800, Statutes of 2015.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 9:30 a.m.

  4. Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 27. Noes 11. Page 2675.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 62. Noes 16. Page 3026.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. Ordered to third reading.

  8. Read third time and amended.

  9. Ordered to third reading.

  10. Read third time and amended.

  11. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  12. Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  13. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (July 7).

  14. June 30 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.

  15. Referred to Com. on JUD.

  16. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  17. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 26. Noes 11. Page 1061.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  18. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  19. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 983.) (May 12).

  20. Set for hearing May 12.

  21. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  22. Withdrawn from committee.

  23. April 29 set for second hearing canceled at the request of author.

  24. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on B. & F.I.

  25. Set for hearing April 29.

  26. April 15 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.

  27. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on B. & F.I.

  28. Set for hearing April 15.

  29. Referred to Coms. on B. & F.I. and JUD.

  30. From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 29.

  31. Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

  • Wieckowski · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 9 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • Wieckowski

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

Unfinished Business SB501 Wieckowski Concurrence

Passed 27 Yea · 11 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 241102
Democratic 3000
Total 271102
% of votes cast 68%28%0%5%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Bates — Nay
Hill — Yea
Liu — Yea
Monning — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Allen — Yea
Cannella — Yea
Pan — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
De León — Yea
Glazer — Yea
Hall — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Leno — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Mendoza — Yea
Roth — Yea
Wolk — Yea
Block — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Anderson — Nay
Beall — Yea
Runner — Nay
Huff — Nay
Lara — Not Voting
Moorlach — Nay
Morrell — Nay
Nielsen — Not Voting
Vidak — Nay
Fuller — Nay
Galgiani — Yea
Beth Gaines — Nay
Bill Berryhill — Nay
Mark Stone — Nay
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

SB 501 Wieckowski Senate Third Reading By GARCIA, C.

Passed 62 Yea · 16 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 561302
Democratic 4000
Republican 2300
Total 621602
% of votes cast 78%20%0%3%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Achadjian — Yea
Alejo — Yea
Baker — Yea
Bigelow — Nay
Bloom — Yea
Brough — Nay
Brown — Yea
Levine — Yea
Low — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Mullin — Yea
O'Donnell — Yea
Obernolte — Nay
Quirk — Yea
Steinorth — Yea
Ting — Yea
Weber — Yea
Wood — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Campos — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Dababneh — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Gray — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Lopez — Yea
Daly — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Medina — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Perea — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Wagner — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Harper — Nay
Burke — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Holden — Yea
Kim — Nay
Linder — Yea
Salas — Nay
Mathis — Nay
Melendez — Nay
Chang — Yea
Chau — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Chu — Yea
Chávez — Not Voting
Cooley — Yea
Olsen — Nay
Ridley-Thomas — Not Voting
Rodriguez — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Thurmond — Yea
Waldron — Nay
Wilk — Yea
Williams — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Hadley — Yea
Beth Gaines — Nay
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Jim Patterson — Nay
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
Travis Allen — Nay
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 6 Yea · 2 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6102
Republican 0100
Total 6202
% of votes cast 60%20%0%20%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Alejo — Yea
Maienschein — Nay
Holden — Yea
Chau — Yea
Chiu — Yea
O'Donnell — Not Voting
Wagner — Not Voting
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Nay

Official roll call →

3rd Reading

Passed 26 Yea · 11 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 241101
Democratic 2001
Total 261102
% of votes cast 67%28%0%5%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Anderson — Nay
Block — Yea
Lara — Yea
Liu — Yea
Morrell — Nay
Pan — Yea
Vidak — Nay
Wolk — Yea
Fuller — Nay
Galgiani — Yea
Hall — Yea
Allen — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
De León — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Runner — Nay
Cannella — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Hill — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Huff — Not Voting
Bates — Nay
Beall — Yea
Leno — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Mendoza — Yea
Monning — Yea
Moorlach — Nay
Nielsen — Nay
Pavley — Yea
Roth — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Beth Gaines — Nay
Bill Berryhill — Nay
Mark Stone — Nay
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Not Voting

Official roll call →

Do pass

Passed 5 Yea · 2 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4200
Democratic 1000
Total 5200
% of votes cast 71%29%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Anderson — Nay
Hertzberg — Yea
Leno — Yea
Moorlach — Nay
Monning — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

finance 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 SB 501 do?
The Wage Garnishment Law prescribes the procedure for withholding an employee's earnings for purposes of paying a debt. The law requires that a levy of execution upon the earnings of an employee be made by service of an earnings withholding order upon the employer. An earnings withholding order is issued by a levying officer upon receiving an application submitted by a judgment creditor, as specified. Existing law prohibits the amount of an individual judgment debtor's weekly disposable earnings subject to levy under an earnings withholding order from exceeding the lesser of 25% of the individual's weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which the individual's disposable earnings for the week exceed 40 times the state minimum hourly wage in effect at the time the earnings are payable, as specified, unless an exception applies. An employer is required, except as otherwise provided by statute, to withhold the amounts required by an earnings withholding order from all earnings of the employee payable for any pay period of the employee which ends during the withholding period. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, reduce the prohibited amount of an individual judgment debtor's weekly disposable earnings subject to levy under an earnings withholding order from exceeding the lesser of 25% of the individual's weekly disposable earnings or 50% of the amount by which the individual's disposable earnings for the week exceed 40 times the state minimum hourly wage, or applicable local minimum hourly wage, if higher, in effect at the time the earnings are payable.
Who sponsors SB 501?
SB 501 is sponsored by Wieckowski.
What is the current status of SB 501?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 26, 2015. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 501?
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