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California · 2025–26 Regular Session · Senate Bill

SB 398: Election crimes: payment based on voting or voter registration.

Enacted Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

SB 398 is a senate bill introduced in the California Senate on February 14, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Election crimes: payment based on voting or voter registration. Primary sponsor: Thomas Umberg (D). It lists 2 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (October 2, 2025): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 246, Statutes of 2025.

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Under existing law, it is a crime for a person to receive money or other valuable consideration to assist another to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration if the person fails to sign the affidavit and include certain other information, including the name and telephone number of the person, company, or organization, if any, that has agreed to pay the money or other valuable consideration.

This bill would make it a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or both, for a person to knowingly or willfully pay or offer to pay money or other valuable consideration to another person with the intent to induce the person to vote or to register to vote, or where the payment is contingent upon whether the person voted or the person’s voter registration status. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 3

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Thomas UmbergPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate34
Josh BeckerCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate13
Alex LeeCo-sponsorDemocraticAssembly24

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 246, Statutes of 2025.
  2. Approved by the Governor.
  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
  4. Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2829.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
  5. In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
  6. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2993.) Ordered to the Senate.
  7. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
  8. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).
  9. Coauthors revised.
  10. August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
  11. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
  12. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

Sources

  1. California Legislative Information — pubinfo database export
  2. Official bill page