AB 2641 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Sales and use taxes: exclusion: pawnbrokers: transfer of vested property.

Summary
Existing state sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. Existing law defines "sale" and "purchase" for these purposes and provides certain exclusions from those definitions. Existing law, until January 1, 2027, excludes the transfer of vested property by a pawnbroker to a person who pledged the property to the pawnbroker as security for a loan, if specified requirements are met, from the definition of "sale" and "purchase," thus excluding that transfer from imposition of sales and use tax. This bill would extend the exclusion of the transfer of vested property by a pawnbroker to the person who pledged it, as described above, until January 1, 2032. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a sales and use tax exemption to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include that additional information required for the above sales and use tax exclusion. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Jun 2026
Assembly Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
Jun 2026
Signed into Law
Jul 2026
Introduced Feb 20, 2026 Signed Jul 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/20/26 - Introduced 03/16/26 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · Mar 16, 2026
MODERATE
AB 2641 was fundamentally transformed from a nonsubstantive cleanup of property tax statement filing rules into a substantive bill that amends the sales and use tax code to exclude pawnbroker transfers of vested property back to customers from taxation, while retaining the original minor property tax language changes. The amendment adds legislative findings, a no-reimbursement clause for local agencies, and an immediate-effect tax levy provision. This matters because it prevents customers from paying double sales tax when redeeming pledged items from pawnbrokers.
Scope change
The bill expanded from a purely technical, nonsubstantive amendment to property tax filing rules (Section 830) to a substantive policy change creating a sales and use tax exclusion for pawnbroker transactions (Section 6010.15), with immediate effect as a tax levy and no state reimbursement to local agencies for resulting revenue losses.
SCOPE

The bill now amends Section 6010.15 of the Revenue and Taxation Code to exclude the transfer of vested property by a pawnbroker back to the person who pledged it from the definition of 'sale' and 'purchase,' removing it from sales and use tax.

The bill's scope expanded from a single nonsubstantive amendment to Section 830 (property tax statement filing) to also include a substantive sales and use tax exclusion for pawnbrokers under Section 6010.15, plus new fiscal and effective-date provisions.

ELIGIBILITY

The exclusion applies only if: (1) the transfer occurs within six months of title vesting in the pawnbroker, (2) the customer pays only the remaining unpaid loan balance plus accrued charges and interest (with different interest calculation methods depending on whether the original loan was under $2,500 or $2,500 or more), and (3) the customer has proof such as a receipt showing they originally paid sales tax on the item.

FISCAL

Section 3 provides that no appropriation is made and the state will not reimburse any local agency for sales and use tax revenues lost due to this exclusion, shifting the revenue impact entirely to local jurisdictions.

The fiscal committee answer changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting that the bill now has fiscal impact due to the sales tax exclusion and the no-reimbursement provision for local agencies.

TIMELINE

Section 4 designates the bill as a tax levy under Article IV of the California Constitution, meaning it takes effect immediately upon enactment rather than on July 1.

REQUIREMENT

Section 2 includes legislative findings specifying that the goal is to prevent double sales tax on pawned property redemption, with the performance indicator being the Department of Tax and Fee Administration's estimate of utilization.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 25, 2026 · Assembly May 18, 2026

How they voted

360
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 40
Jun 25, 2026
D Democratic30
29 Yea 1
96% Yea
R Republican10
7 Yea 3
70% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
9
Committee
9
Amendments
3
Jul 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor.
legislature
Jun 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
lower
Jun 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 5015.).
upper
Jun 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.
upper
Jun 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 10). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
upper
May 27, 2026
Committee
Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.
upper
May 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 5137.)
lower
May 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 13).
lower
Apr 22, 2026
Committee
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
lower
Apr 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read second time and amended.
lower
Apr 20, 2026
Introduced
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 13).
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Committee
Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Introduced
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on REV. & TAX. Read second time and amended.
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Committee
Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.
lower
Feb 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
DDemocratic
CA
53