What AB 1603 does
An act to amend and renumber Section 12500.5 of, to add Sections 12500.3 and 12500.4 to, and to add Article 19 (commencing with Section 13200) to Chapter 2 of Division 7 of, the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to pesticides.
Existing law generally regulates the use of pesticides, and requires every manufacturer of, importer of, or dealer in any pesticide, except as specified, to obtain a certificate of registration from the Department of Pesticide Regulation before the pesticide is offered for sale. Existing law requires a pesticide use report to be submitted to a county agricultural commissioner or the Director of Pesticide Regulation, as provided.
This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, or on or before the posting of the pesticide use reporting database containing 2026 data, whichever occurs first, and annually thereafter, to indicate if a pesticide contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pesticide ingredients, as defined, in the pesticide use reporting database on its internet website, include PFAS as a category of interest for purposes of that database, and include pesticide use trends of PFAS pesticide ingredients from the pesticide database in the pesticide use annual report and other relevant pesticide use reporting documents. The bill would also require the department to, on or before January 1, 2028, publish a list of all registered pesticides that contain PFAS pesticide ingredients and submit this list to the commissioner of each county, and to, within 60 calendar days of the registration of a new pesticide containing PFAS pesticide ingredients, update the list on its internet website and submit the updated list to the commissioner of each county.
Summary from the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the enrolled text, August 30, 2026. Read the full text on leginfo.
How it got here
Assemblymember Schultz introduced AB 1603 on January 16, 2026. The text was amended 8 times, 4 in the Assembly and 4 in the Senate, and heard in 6 committee hearings before its final floor votes.
- Assembly Floor, May 27, 2026: 42 ayes, 21 noes.
- Senate Floor, August 26, 2026: 31 ayes, 5 noes.
- Assembly Floor, August 26, 2026: 63 ayes, 9 noes.
Committee votes along the way:
- Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, April 14, 2026: Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations], 5-2.
- Assembly Appropriations, May 14, 2026: Do pass as amended., 10-4.
- Senate Environmental Quality, June 24, 2026: Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Agriculture], 4-2.
- Senate Agriculture, June 30, 2026: Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations], 4-1.
Who supports and opposes AB 1603
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated August 20, 2026 lists 128 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. When Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials first listed positions on April 10, 2026, the count was 73 in support and 32 opposed. By the Senate Floor Analyses analysis of August 20, 2026 it was 128 to 0.
In support: Environmental Working Group (sponsor); 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generation; 2100 Iff Strategies; 350 Bay Area Action; Access to Thrive, INC; Acevedo Media LLC; Active San Gabriel Valley; Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments; and 120 more.
Read the Senate Floor Analyses analysis.
Our read
Analysis by Capitol Axis, drawn from the committee analyses and vote record for AB 1603.
Support went from 73 at Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials to 128 by Senate Floor Analyses.
Environmental Working Group is the sponsor of record.
AB 1603 was rewritten 8 times, 4 of them in the second house, the last on August 19, 2026.
What happens next
It reached the Governor's desk on September 3, 2026. Bills presented after the Legislature adjourned on August 31 must be signed or vetoed within thirty days.
The Governor can sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Until the decision, sign and veto request letters are the remaining channel, and the Department of Finance's enrolled bill report carries weight on anything with a fiscal effect. If signed, most provisions take effect January 1, and implementation moves to the agencies named in the bill.
What it means for agriculture organizations
Two decisions follow from a bill at this stage. The first is whether to weigh in with the Governor's office before the thirty-day window closes. The second is how to prepare for implementation if it becomes law: which agency writes the rules, when the comment period opens, and which obligations begin January 1.
The agriculture group at Capitol Axis handles that for agriculture clients.
Questions about AB 1603
What does AB 1603 do?
This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, or on or before the posting of the pesticide use reporting database containing 2026 data, whichever occurs first, and annually thereafter, to indicate if a pesticide contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pesticide ingredients, as defined, in the pesticide use reporting database on its internet website, include PFAS as a category of interest for purposes of that database, and include pesticide use trends of PFAS pesticide ingredients from the pesticide database in the pesticide use annual report and ot
Has AB 1603 passed the California Legislature?
It reached the Governor's desk on September 3, 2026. Bills presented after the Legislature adjourned on August 31 must be signed or vetoed within thirty days.
Who supports and opposes AB 1603?
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated August 20, 2026 lists 128 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. Supporters include Environmental Working Group (sponsor); 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generation; 2100 Iff Strategies.
What happens next with AB 1603?
The Governor can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Until then, sign and veto request letters are the remaining channel, and the Department of Finance's enrolled bill report carries weight on anything with a fiscal effect.