Senate BillChaptered/SignedGovernment
SB 695: Transportation: climate resiliency: projects of statewide and regional significance.
What SB 695 does, verified December 7, 2025
The state will develop a prioritized list of transportation projects of statewide and regional significance to prepare for extreme weather-related events. The list will be created by the Department of Transportation in consultation with the California Transportation Commission and the Transportation Agency. The list will be based on criteria such as benefits to regional or statewide mobility, economy, goods movement, and safety. The Department will submit the list to the legislature annually, starting in 2027, and will also submit a report detailing the list to the legislature by January 1, 2027.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 781, Statutes of 2025. (2025-10-13)Alert me
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| Oct. 13, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 781, Statutes of 2025. |
| Oct. 13, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 10, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m. |
| Sep. 04, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2908.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Sep. 04, 2025 | In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, October 13, 2025 · 740 words
Senate Bill No. 695
CHAPTER 781
An act to add Section 14053 to the Government Code, relating to transportation.
[ Approved by Governor October 13, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 13, 2025. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 695, Cortese. Transportation: climate resiliency: projects of statewide and regional significance.
Existing law establishes the State Transportation Infrastructure Climate Adaptation Program, administered by the Department of Transportation, for purposes of planning, developing, and implementing projects adapting state transportation infrastructure to climate change. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with, among others, the Transportation Agency and the California Transportation Commission, to develop a program of its top priority climate adaptation projects and to submit projects in this program to the commission for adoption. Existing law requires the department, in developing the program of projects, to consider specified criteria, including, but not limited to, the benefits of the project to preserving or enhancing regional or statewide mobility, economy, goods movement, and safety, and other benefits associated with protecting the asset.
This bill would require the department, in consultation with the commission and the agency, and on or before July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to create a prioritized list of projects of statewide and regional significance, as defined, to better prepare the state for extreme weather-related events, with priority based on specified criteria. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Legislature a report containing the prioritized list of projects.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) California’s aging infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate-related disasters, including increased flooding, wildfires, and earthquakes, as many critical systems, built decades ago, are not adequately designed to withstand these extreme events.
(2) Failure to act now will result in significantly greater state costs to repair, rebuild, and replace failing infrastructure. Delays will also contribute to disruptions to public services, economic activity, and transportation safety.
(3) Proactive investment in resilient infrastructure today aligns with California’s commitment to sustainability, climate adaptation, and long-term economic growth and stability.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to promote infrastructure projects of statewide and regional significance that will enhance resilience to climate change, reduce disaster recovery costs, and ensure continued public safety and economic vitality.
SEC. 2.
Section 14053 is added to the Government Code, immediately following Section 14052, to read:14053.
(a) For purposes of this section, “project of statewide and regional significance” means a high-priority highway project on the state highway system that would benefit two or more counties and that satisfies the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2).(1) Meets one or both of the following:
(A) The project would improve public safety on a highway that serves as a major corridor for the movement of goods and people.
(B) The project would contribute to the state’s economy by supporting key transportation routes that facilitate commerce, trade, and job growth.
(2) Meets one or both of the following:
(A) The project would enhance climate resilience by mitigating climate-related impacts on state highways, thereby reducing long-term infrastructure repair or replacement costs.
(B) The project would address a vulnerability to a natural disaster, including, but not limited to, an earthquake, mudslide, wildfire, or another extreme climate event.
(b) (1) On or before July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the department, in consultation with the commission and the Transportation Agency, shall create a prioritized list of projects of statewide and regional significance to better prepare the state for extreme weather-related events. Priority shall be given to projects that advance the following cobenefits, with greater priority given to projects that include more than one of the following cobenefits:
(A) Enhanced safety.
(B) Efficient goods movement along trade corridors.
(C) Climate resiliency, including, but not limited to, water storage, access to safe drinking water, and flood mitigation.
(D) Improvement to electric transmission infrastructure for electrical grid reliability.
(2) The list described in paragraph (1) shall include only a project of statewide and regional significance in the project approval and environmental documentation stage or the planning, environmental, and design stage, or further along.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795, a report containing the prioritized list described in subdivision (b).
Text of SB 695 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions