Assembly BillChaptered/SignedPenal
AB 1583: Criminal procedure: jurisdiction.
What AB 1583 does, verified August 17, 2026
This bill aims to expand the jurisdiction of criminal actions related to wage theft or labor trafficking. The jurisdiction now includes the county where the victim resided at the time of the offense, the county where the employment contract was entered into, the county where the work was performed, or the county where the business or its locations were situated. This change is intended to better address the complexities of wage theft and labor trafficking cases, where the perpetrator may not be in the same county as the victim.
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6ChapteredCurrent
Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 38, Statutes of 2026. (2026-06-30)Alert me
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| Jun. 30, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 38, Statutes of 2026. |
| Jun. 30, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Jun. 24, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11:30 a.m. |
| Jun. 15, 2026 | In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. |
| Jun. 15, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4760.). |
Latest bill textChaptered version, June 30, 2026 · 477 words
Assembly Bill No. 1583
CHAPTER 38
An act to add Section 786.6 to the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.
[ Approved by Governor June 30, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State June 30, 2026. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1583, Rogers. Criminal procedure: jurisdiction.
Existing law sets forth specific rules relating to the jurisdiction for the prosecution of theft by fraud, organized retail theft, and receiving stolen property, including that the jurisdiction for prosecution includes the county where an offense involving the theft or receipt of the stolen merchandise occurred, the county in which the merchandise was recovered, or the county where any act was done by the defendant in instigating, procuring, promoting, or aiding or abetting in the commission of a theft offense or other qualifying offense.
This bill would make the jurisdiction of a criminal action for wage theft or labor trafficking, as defined, also include the county in which the victim resided at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, the county in which the victim was present at the time the employment contract was entered into, the county in which any portion of the work was performed, or the county in which the business or any of its locations was situated at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, as specified.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 786.6 is added to the Penal Code, to read:786.6.
(a) The jurisdiction of a criminal action for wage theft, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 487m and Section 1199 of the Labor Code, or labor trafficking, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 236.1, shall also include the county in which the victim resided at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, the county in which the victim was present at the time the employment contract was entered into, the county in which any portion of the work was performed, or the county in which the business or any of its locations was situated at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking.(b) If multiple offenses of wage theft or labor trafficking involving the same defendant or defendants occur in multiple jurisdictions, then any of those jurisdictions are a proper jurisdiction for all of the offenses, subject to a hearing pursuant to Section 954 in the jurisdiction of the proposed trial. At the hearing pursuant to Section 954, the prosecution shall present written evidence that all district attorneys in counties with jurisdiction over the offenses agree to the venue. Charged offenses from jurisdictions where there is not a written agreement from the district attorney shall be returned to that jurisdiction.
(c) Jurisdiction also extends to all associated offenses connected together in their commission to the underlying wage theft or labor trafficking offenses.
Text of AB 1583 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions