Senate BillIntroducedCivil
SB 982: Climate disasters: civil actions.
What SB 982 does, verified June 1, 2026
This bill would allow the attorney general to bring a civil action against specified fossil fuel companies for climate-related damage to recover costs and losses suffered by various parties. The companies would be strictly liable without regard to fault for any relief granted. The court and jury would use market share and alternate liability principles to determine proportionate liability among the companies. The bill would prohibit the companies from recovering costs from California consumers through higher prices. The recovered funds would be deposited into the attorney general climate disaster fund, which would be used to support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, as well as provide compensation to affected parties.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: April 22 set for first hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 3. Noes 2. Page 4011.) (2026-04-23)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions10 total · showing 5
| Apr. 23, 2026 | April 22 set for first hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 3. Noes 2. Page 4011.) |
| Apr. 21, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on INS. (Ayes 9. Noes 2. Page 3977.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on INS. |
| Apr. 17, 2026 | Set for hearing April 22 in INS. pending receipt. |
| Apr. 17, 2026 | Set for hearing April 21. |
| Apr. 15, 2026 | April 14 set for first hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 6. Noes 2. Page 3868.) Reconsideration granted. |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 6, 2026 · 940 words
| Amended IN Senate April 06, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 982
| Introduced by Senator Wiener (Coauthors: Senators Allen, Gonzalez, McNerney, Reyes, Stern, and Weber Pierson) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Connolly, Elhawary, Garcia, Hart, |
February 04, 2026 |
An act to add Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 3508.5) to Division 4 of the Civil Code, relating to climate disasters.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 982, as amended, Wiener. Climate disasters: civil actions.
Existing law gives a person the right of protection from bodily harm and the right to possess and use property. If a person suffers bodily harm or a loss of their property because of the unlawful act or omission of another, existing law authorizes them to recover compensation from the person at fault, which is known as damages. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to bring various civil actions due to damage or loss.
This bill would authorize the Attorney General to bring a civil action against a party responsible specified fossil fuel companies for climate-attributable damage to recover costs and losses suffered by the California FAIR Plan Association, funds borrowed from the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, or costs to and losses incurred by insurance policyholders arising from a past climate disaster. policyholders. The bill would make responsible parties those companies strictly liable without regard to fault for any relief granted. The bill bill would authorize the court and jury to use market share and alternate liability principles to determine proportionate liability of those companies for the climate-attributable damage, as described.
This bill would make it an unlawful business practice for the company or affiliated entity to recover from California consumers, through retail or wholesale prices, charges, fees, surcharges, or any other adjustment to the price of gasoline or other motor fuels, for any costs and expenses incurred in connection with such a civil action, as defined.
This bill would create the Attorney General Climate Disaster Fund into which the monetary relief recovered by the Attorney General, excluding restitution, General would be deposited, and would set forth specified uses for the account upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) Climate disasters have caused widespread harm to this state and its residents, including destruction of homes and property, loss of wages, escalating insurance and rental costs, depletion of public resources, and injuries to Californians’ health, safety, and livelihoods. Financial challenges are mounting for many households as federal disaster assistance is withheld, the costs of rebuilding increase, and insurance companies cease payments to displaced families struggling to return to their residences.
(2) Since 2018, California has experienced the largest wildfires in state history, including the deadly and destructive Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025, which resulted in estimated insured residential and commercial property losses of $28,000,000,000 to $40,000,000,000. These climate change-induced change-worsened wildfires have burned millions of acres, destroyed tens of thousands of structures, and upended affordable access to insurance across this state.
(3) Insurance premiums for rental and multifamily properties have spiked by over 30 percent and have contributed to increased housing costs in many parts of the state. Landlords pass these costs on directly to tenants in the form of higher rents, which can contribute to housing instability, displacement, and eviction, disproportionately burdening renters and low-income households.
(4) Access to affordable insurance is necessary for the stability and financial health of Californians and California businesses, and is a crucial anchor for economic development in the state. Affordable insurance access is threatened by increasing nonrenewals and rapidly rising premiums in many parts of this state.
(5) The practice of macrolevel market withdrawals and mass nonrenewals in specific geographic areas has a disparate impact on communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Taken together, these practices are a form of “climate redlining” that systematically strips intergenerational wealth from the very communities that have contributed the least to the climate crisis.
(5)
(6)
As insurers in this state reduce coverage in wildfire-prone and other high-risk areas, Californians have become increasingly dependent on the California FAIR Plan Association (FAIR Plan). The FAIR Plan, created in 1968 as a temporary safety net, has expanded by more than 500 percent in less than a decade, growing from around 126,000 policies in 2018 to more than 700,000 policies in the fall of 2025. As of September 2025, the FAIR Plan was insuring nearly $700,000,000,000 in property across this state, a 52-percent increase from 2024 and a 317-percent increase from 2021.(6)
(7)
In February 2025, the Insurance Commissioner approved a $1,000,000,000 FAIR Plan assessment against member insurers, the first assessment in more than 30 years.(7)
(8)
The costs of direct and anticipated assessments to cover climate-related losses diminish insurer profitability and prompt insurers to limit new business, decline renewals, or withdraw from this state. When those costs are passed through to policyholders, coverage becomes less affordable, driving even more Californians into the FAIR Plan or leaving them underinsured or uninsured.(8)
(9)
ClimateText of SB 982 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions