AB 742 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Department of Consumer Affairs: licensing: applicants who are descendants of slaves.

Summary

Existing law establishes the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is composed of specified boards that license and regulate various professions. Existing law requires those boards to expedite the licensure process for an applicant who holds a current license in another jurisdiction in the same profession or vocation and supplies evidence that they are married to or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is assigned to a duty station in this state under official active duty military orders. This bill would require those boards to expedite applications for applicants seeking licensure who are descendants of American slaves once a process to certify descendants of American slaves is implemented, as specified. This bill would make these provisions operative only if SB 518 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted establishing the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, and would make these provisions operative when the certification process is implemented pursuant to that measure. The bill would repeal these provisions 4 years from the date on which they become operative or on January 1, 2032, whichever is earlier.

Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Aug 2025

Assembly Passage

Jun 2025

Senate Passage

Sep 2025

Vetoed

Oct 2025

Introduced Feb 18, 2025 Vetoed Oct 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/13/25 - Amended Assembly → 07/02/25 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Jul 2, 2025

MODERATE

The Senate amendment narrows the licensing board obligation from broadly 'prioritizing' descendant applicants to specifically 'expediting applications,' removes language giving extra weight to those descended from persons enslaved within the United States, and adds 'implemented' alongside 'established' as a condition for the provisions to take effect. The Government Code citation was also corrected to reference Chapter 4 and Part 6 with a different starting section number.

Scope change

The bill's scope is slightly narrowed: the obligation on licensing boards changed from broad prioritization to specifically expediting applications, and a sub-tier of preference based on U.S. enslavement ancestry was removed. The operative trigger was also tightened by requiring the certification process to be both established and implemented.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the board obligation from 'prioritize applicants seeking licensure who are descendants of slaves seeking licenses' to 'expedite applications for applicants seeking licensure who are descendants of American slaves.' This narrows the duty from general prioritization to specifically speeding up the application process.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the language 'especially applicants who are descended from a person enslaved within the United States,' eliminating a tier of preference that would have given extra weight to those with direct U.S. enslavement ancestry.

TIMELINE

Added 'implemented' alongside 'established' throughout, meaning the certification process must not only be created but also put into operation before the licensing provisions take effect. This adds an additional condition that could delay when the bill becomes operative.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the Government Code citation from 'Part 15 (commencing with Section 16000) of Division 3 of Title 2' to 'Part 15 Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 15210) of Part 6 of Division 3 of Title 2,' fixing the statutory reference to the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery.

Floor votes · Senate Sep 9, 2025 · Assembly Jun 4, 2025

How they voted

30–9

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 40

Sep 9, 2025

D Democratic30

30 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican10

9 Nay 1

90% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jan 22, 2026

Vetoed

Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

lower

Oct 13, 2025

Vetoed

Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

lower

Oct 13, 2025

Vetoed

Vetoed by Governor.

lower

Sep 10, 2025

Lower · Passed

Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 59. Noes 16. Page 3200.).

lower

Sep 9, 2025

Introduced

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

lower

Sep 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 9. Page 2734.).

upper

Aug 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 29).

upper

Aug 18, 2025

Committee

In committee: Referred to suspense file.

upper

Jul 16, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jul 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (July 7). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

upper

Jul 2, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

upper

Jun 18, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and JUD.

upper

Jun 4, 2025

Assembly · Passed

Assembly Vote: pass (56-14-8)

assembly

Jun 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 57. Noes 14. Page 2031.)

lower

May 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 23).

lower

May 7, 2025

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 12. Noes 2.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on B. & P. and JUD.

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

lower

1 primary · 11 co-sponsors