California Senate Bill 955
Session 20252026
Beverage containers: supermarkets: reverse vending machines.
Became Law
Became Law on Sep 18, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
955
State
California
Session
20252026
Motion Text
Special Consent SB955 Blakespear et al. Urgency Clause
Senate Roll Call Votes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Yes
Summary
(1) The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to designate convenience zones annually and to ensure that at least one certified recycling center that meets specific requirements is located within each convenience zone. The act defines a "convenience zone" as the area within a one-mile radius of a supermarket, as defined. Under the act, a reverse vending machine, as defined, may be certified as a recycling center, as prescribed. The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, and continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay processing payments to recycling centers and to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act prohibits processing payments, handling fees, and administrative fees for dealer cooperatives if a certified recycling center operates in a convenience zone where a dealer participating in the dealer cooperative is located.
A violation of the act is a crime.
This bill would specify that a reverse vending machine certified to operate as a recycling center does not make an unserved convenience zone served, that a dealer cooperative or a mobile unit is not precluded from operating and receiving program payments in the same convenience zone as a reverse vending machine, and that an existing certified recycling center is not ineligible for handling fees if a reverse vending machine is located in the same convenience zone.
(2) The act defines a "supermarket" as a full-line, self-service retail store with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more that sells specified items and some perishable items.
This bill would revise that definition by increasing the minimum gross annual sales to $6,000,000, revising the description of the required items for sale, causing recycling centers that are supermarkets eligible to receive handling fees under existing law to continue to be eligible to receive handling fees, and requiring the department to consult the most recent annual update to the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook and other relevant updates to the guidebook to determine which dealers are supermarkets, as specified.
(3) The act requires, until June 30, 2027, the handling fee to be determined using a methodology established by the department through emergency regulations, and requires those regulations to remain in effect through that date, as specified.
This bill would extend the application of those regulations through June 30, 2032.
(4) This bill would make an appropriation by expanding the entities that would be eligible at any given time for program payments, and by changing the calculation of handling fees, paid by the department from the continuously appropriated fund.
(5) By adding new requirements to the act, this bill would expand the scope of crimes, thereby imposing 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.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
02/02/26 - Introduced
February 2, 2026
03/18/26 - Amended Senate
March 18, 2026
04/09/26 - Amended Senate
April 9, 2026
05/18/26 - Amended Senate
May 18, 2026
08/13/26 - Amended Assembly
August 13, 2026
08/30/26 - Enrolled
August 30, 2026
04/06/26- Senate Environmental Quality
April 6, 2026
04/17/26- Senate Appropriations
April 17, 2026
05/14/26- Sen. Floor Analyses
May 14, 2026
05/19/26- Sen. Floor Analyses
May 19, 2026
06/19/26- Assembly Natural Resources
June 19, 2026
08/03/26- Assembly Appropriations
August 3, 2026
08/19/26- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
August 19, 2026
08/24/26- Sen. Floor Analyses
August 24, 2026
Sort by most recent
09/18/2026
California State Legislature
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 319, Statutes of 2026.
09/18/2026
California State Legislature
Approved by the Governor.
09/02/2026
California State Legislature
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
08/27/2026
Senate
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
08/26/2026
Senate
Ordered to special consent calendar.
08/24/2026
Senate
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
08/24/2026
Assembly
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6421.) Ordered to the Senate.
08/17/2026
Assembly
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
08/13/2026
Assembly
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
08/13/2026
Assembly
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 13).
08/13/2026
Assembly
Assembly Rule 63 suspended.
08/05/2026
Assembly
August 5 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
06/23/2026
Assembly
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
06/23/2026
Assembly
Coauthors revised.
06/01/2026
Assembly
Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
05/22/2026
Assembly
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
05/22/2026
Senate
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 33. Noes 0. Page 4417.) Ordered to the Assembly.
05/20/2026
Senate
Ordered to special consent calendar.
05/19/2026
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
05/18/2026
Senate
Ordered to second reading.
05/18/2026
Senate
Read third time and amended.
05/14/2026
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
05/14/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 4259.) (May 14).
05/08/2026
Senate
Set for hearing May 14.
04/20/2026
Senate
April 20 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
04/14/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 20.
04/09/2026
Senate
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
04/08/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3792.) (April 8).
03/18/2026
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
03/11/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 8.
03/09/2026
Senate
March 18 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
02/25/2026
Senate
Set for hearing March 18.
02/11/2026
Senate
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
02/03/2026
Senate
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 5.
02/02/2026
Senate
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 3, 2026 8:38:46 AM
Record Updated
Sep 19, 2026 9:20:30 AM