Senate BillChaptered/SignedGovernment
SB 1204: Administrative regulations.
What SB 1204 does, verified August 10, 2026
The proposed bill aims to amend the administrative procedure act to improve the review process of state regulations. Currently, the office of administrative law has 30 working days to review regulations, and if disapproved, the office returns the regulation to the adopting agency with the reasons for disapproval. The proposed bill would require the office to report the disapproval and reasons within 60 days, allowing for more transparency and accountability in the regulatory process.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 104, Statutes of 2026. (2026-07-02)Alert me
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| Jul. 16, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 104, Statutes of 2026. |
| Jul. 16, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Jul. 15, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m. |
| Jul. 02, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 70. Noes 0. Page 5985.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Jul. 02, 2026 | In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, July 16, 2026 · 518 words
Senate Bill No. 1204
CHAPTER 104
An act to amend Section 11349.3 of the Government Code, relating to state government.
[ Approved by Governor July 16, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State July 16, 2026. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1204, Ochoa Bogh. Administrative regulations.
Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, sets forth requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies, and for review of those regulatory actions by the Office of Administrative Law. Existing law requires the office to review regulations on the bases of necessity, authority, clarity, consistency, reference, and nonduplication and requires the office to either approve or disapprove the regulation within 30 working days. If the office disapproves a regulation, existing law requires the office to return it to the adopting agency and include the reasons for disapproval, as specified.
This bill would require the office to report a disapproval and the reasons for disapproval to the Legislature within 60 days of returning a regulation to the adopting agency, as specified.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 11349.3 of the Government Code is amended to read:11349.3.
(a) The office shall either approve a regulation submitted to it for review and transmit it to the Secretary of State for filing or disapprove it within 30 working days after the regulation has been submitted to the office for review. If the office fails to act within 30 days, the regulation shall be deemed to have been approved and the office shall transmit it to the Secretary of State for filing.(b) (1) If the office disapproves a regulation, it shall return it to the adopting agency within the 30-day period specified in subdivision (a) accompanied by a notice specifying the reasons for disapproval. Within seven calendar days of the issuance of the notice, the office shall provide the adopting agency with a written decision detailing the reasons for disapproval. A regulation shall not be disapproved except for failure to comply with the standards set forth in Section 11349.1 or for failure to comply with this chapter.
(2) Within 60 days of returning a regulation to the adopting agency pursuant to paragraph (1), the office shall report the disapproval and the reasons for disapproval to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795.
(c) If an agency determines, on its own initiative, that a regulation submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) should be returned by the office prior to completion of the office’s review, it may request the return of the regulation. All requests for the return of a regulation shall be memorialized in writing by the submitting agency no later than one week following the request. Any regulation returned pursuant to this subdivision shall be resubmitted to the office for review within the one-year period specified in subdivision (b) of Section 11346.4 or shall comply with Article 5 (commencing with Section 11346) prior to resubmission.
(d) The office shall not initiate the return of a regulation pursuant to subdivision (c) as an alternative to disapproval pursuant to subdivision (b).
Text of SB 1204 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions