What SB 454 does
An act to add Chapter 4.9 (commencing with Section 116774.20) to Part 12 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to water.
Existing law designates the State Water Resources Control Board as the agency responsible for administering specific programs related to drinking water, including, among others, the California Safe Drinking Water Act and the Emerging Contaminants for Small or Disadvantaged Communities Funding Program.
This bill, which would become operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature, would enact a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mitigation program. As part of that program, the bill would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund in the State Treasury and would authorize certain moneys in the fund to be expended by the state board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes. The bill would authorize the state board to seek out nonstate, federal, and private funds designated for PFAS remediation and treatment and deposit the funds into the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The bill would continuously appropriate these funds to the state board for specified purposes. The bill would authorize the state board to establish accounts within the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The bill would authorize the state board to expend moneys from the fund in the form of a grant, loan, or contract, or to provide assistance services to water suppliers and sewer system providers, as those terms are defined, for multiple purposes, including, among other things, to cover or reduce the costs for water suppliers associated with treating drinking water to meet the applicable state and federal maximum PFAS contaminant levels. The bill would require a water supplier or sewer system provider to include a clear and definite purpose for how the funds will be used to provide public benefits to their community related to safe drinking water, recycled water, stormwater, or treated wastewater in order to be eligible to receive funds. The bill would require the state board to adopt guidelines to implement these provisions, as provided.
Summary from the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the enrolled text, September 12, 2025. Read the full text on leginfo.
How it got here
Senator McNerney introduced SB 454 on February 19, 2025, with coauthors Senators Arreguín and Limón. The text was amended 4 times, 1 in the Assembly and 3 in the Senate, and heard in 6 committee hearings before its final floor votes.
- Senate Floor, May 28, 2025: 37 ayes, 0 noes.
- Assembly Floor, September 8, 2025: 79 ayes, 0 noes.
- Senate Floor, September 9, 2025: 40 ayes, 0 noes.
Committee votes along the way:
- Senate Environmental Quality, April 2, 2025: Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar, 8-0.
- Senate Appropriations, April 21, 2025: Placed on suspense file, 6-0.
- Senate Appropriations, May 23, 2025: Do pass as amended, 6-0.
- Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, June 17, 2025: Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar, 7-0.
- Assembly Appropriations, August 29, 2025: Do pass., 15-0.
Who supports and opposes SB 454
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated October 7, 2025 lists 65 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. When Senate Environmental Quality first listed positions on April 1, 2025, the count was 52 in support and 0 opposed. By the Senate Floor Analyses analysis of October 7, 2025 it was 65 to 0.
In support: A Voice for Choice Advocacy; Association of California Water Agencies; Bella Vista Water District; Burbank Water and Power; California Association of Sanitation Agencies; California Environmental Voters; California Municipal Utilities Association; California Special Districts Association; and 57 more.
Read the Senate Floor Analyses analysis.
What happens next
The Governor vetoed it, with the last recorded action on March 2, 2026.
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
A vetoed bill usually returns. The veto message is the clearest statement of what a successor would have to change, and the interval before it is reintroduced is when that language gets negotiated.
The agriculture group at Capitol Axis handles that for agriculture clients.
Questions about SB 454
What does SB 454 do?
This bill, which would become operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature, would enact a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mitigation program. As part of that program, the bill would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund in the State Treasury and would authorize certain moneys in the fund to be expended by the state board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes. The bill would authorize the state board to seek out nonstate, federal, and private funds designated for PFAS remediation and treatment and deposit the funds into the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The
Has SB 454 passed the California Legislature?
The Governor vetoed it, with the last recorded action on March 2, 2026.
Who supports and opposes SB 454?
The Senate Floor Analyses analysis dated October 7, 2025 lists 65 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. Supporters include A Voice for Choice Advocacy; Association of California Water Agencies; Bella Vista Water District.
What happens next with SB 454?
A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses, which is rare. The usual path is a successor bill in the next session, and the veto message is the clearest guide to what that bill would have to change.