Assembly BillPassed first houseRevenue and Taxation
AB 97: Personal Income Tax Law: Corporation Tax Law: Bobcat Fire: exclusions.
What AB 97 does, verified December 7, 2025
The bill provides an exclusion from gross income for qualified taxpayers who received settlement amounts for costs and losses associated with the 2020 Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles County. This exclusion applies to taxable years starting from 2024 and ending before 2029. The bill also includes additional information and requirements for new tax expenditures, as well as findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds. The bill takes effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
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✓First Chamber FloorComplete
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5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. (2025-05-21)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions16 total · showing 5
| Jun. 18, 2025 | Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX. |
| Jun. 05, 2025 | In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. |
| Jun. 04, 2025 | Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2076.). |
| Jun. 04, 2025 | Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0.). |
| May. 27, 2025 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 7, 2025 · 1,089 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 97
| Introduced by Assembly Member Lackey |
January 07, 2025 |
An act to add and repeal Sections 17139.1 and 24309.9 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, relating to taxation, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 97, as introduced, Lackey. Personal Income Tax Law: Corporation Tax Law: Bobcat Fire: exclusions.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally define “gross income” as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income.
This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, would provide an exclusion from gross income for any qualified taxpayer, as defined, for amounts received in settlement for costs and losses associated with the 2020 Bobcat Fire in the County of Los Angeles, as provided.
Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements.
This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure.
This bill would make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 17139.1 is added to the Revenue and Taxation Code, to read:17139.1.
(a) For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, gross income does not include any qualified amount received by a qualified taxpayer.(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Qualified amount” means any amount received in settlement by a qualified taxpayer from a settlement entity in connection with the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(2) “Qualified taxpayer” means any of the following:
(A) Any taxpayer that owned real property located in the County of Los Angeles during the 2020 Bobcat Fire who paid or incurred expenses and received amounts from a settlement arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(B) Any taxpayer that resided within the County of Los Angeles during the 2020 Bobcat Fire who paid or incurred expenses and received amounts from a settlement arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(C) Any taxpayer that had a place of business within the County of Los Angeles during the 2020 Bobcat Fire who paid or incurred expenses and received amounts from a settlement arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(3) “Settlement entity” means Southern California Edison or its subsidiary that is making the settlement payment to a qualified taxpayer.
(c) The settlement entity shall provide, upon request by the Franchise Tax Board, documentation of the settlement payments in the form and manner requested by the Franchise Tax Board.
(d) (1) For the purpose of complying with Section 41 in regards to the exclusion provided by this section and Section 24309.9, the Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(A) The specific goal, purpose, and objective of the tax exclusion is to provide essential relief to individuals who have suffered injury, loss, inconvenience, and expenses resulting from the devastating 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(B) The performance indicators for the Legislature to use in determining if the exclusion achieves the stated goal, purpose, and objective shall be the number of qualified taxpayers that excluded qualified amounts from gross income, and the aggregate amount of settlement payments arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(2) (A) On December 1, 2029, the Franchise Tax Board shall deliver to the Legislature a written report that includes both of the following:
(i) To the extent feasible, the number of qualified taxpayers that excluded qualified amounts from gross income, as a result of the exclusion.
(ii) The aggregate amount of those settlement payments arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(B) The report required by this paragraph shall be delivered to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(C) The disclosure provisions of this subdivision shall be treated as an exception to Section 19542.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until December 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 2.
Section 24309.9 is added to the Revenue and Taxation Code, to read:24309.9.
(a) For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, gross income does not include any qualified amount received by a qualified taxpayer.(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Qualified amount” means any amount received in settlement by a qualified taxpayer from a settlement entity in connection with the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(2) “Qualified taxpayer” means any of the following:
(A) Any taxpayer that owned real property located in the County of Los Angeles during the 2020 Bobcat Fire who paid or incurred expenses and received amounts from a settlement arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(B) Any taxpayer that had a place of business within the County of Los Angeles during the 2020 Bobcat Fire who paid or incurred expenses and received amounts from a settlement arising out of the 2020 Bobcat Fire.
(3) “Settlement entity” means Southern California Edison or its subsidiary that is making the settlement payment to a qualified taxpayer.
(c) The settlement entity shall provide, upon request by the Franchise Tax Board, documentation of the settlement payments in the form and manner requested by the Franchise Tax Board.
(d) This section shall remain in effect only until December 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 3.
The Legislature finds and declares that Sections 17139. and 24309.9 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, as added by this act, are necessary for the public purpose of preventing undue hardship to taxpayers who reside, or used to reside, in a part of California devastated by wildfire, and do not constitute a gift of public funds within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.SEC. 4.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:In order to provide essential relief to those persons who have suffered injury, loss, inconvenience, and expenses resulting from the devastating 2020 Bobcat Fire as soon as possible, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.
Text of AB 97 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions