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AB-1149 • 2026

Recycling: market development payments: polyethylene terephthalate plastic.

Recycling: market development payments: polyethylene terephthalate plastic.

Budget
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Jackson
Last action
2026-05-28
Official status
In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on the distribution of payments among companies.

Recycling Payments for PET Plastic

This law sets up payments to help recycle plastic bottles made of PET, a type of plastic.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets up one payment amount for recycling empty PET plastic drink containers.
  • Creates another payment for PET plastic that is turned into flakes or pellets after being recycled.
  • Allows the state to spend up to $35 million each year on these payments until July 1, 2029.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who recycle PET plastic drink containers
  • Companies that make products from recycled PET plastic

Terms To Know

PET Plastic
A type of plastic used to make bottles and other containers.
Market Development Payment
Money given to help businesses recycle or use recycled materials.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the payments will be distributed among different companies.
  • It is unclear if all PET plastic containers will qualify for these payments.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-28 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  2. 2026-05-13 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.

  3. 2026-04-30 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(c).

  4. 2026-04-30 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  5. 2026-04-29 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

  6. 2026-04-29 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to second reading.

  7. 2026-04-29 California Legislative Information

    From inactive file.

  8. 2025-06-13 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Valladares.

  9. 2025-06-13 California Legislative Information

    From Consent Calendar.

  10. 2025-06-11 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  11. 2025-06-10 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 10).

  12. 2025-05-22 California Legislative Information

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

  13. 2025-05-07 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

  14. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  15. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 1176.)

  16. 2025-04-09 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  17. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 7).

  18. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

  19. 2025-04-01 California Legislative Information

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

  20. 2025-03-10 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

  21. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  22. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1149, as amended,
Davies
Jackson.
Driver’s licenses.
Recycling: market development payments: polyethylene terephthalate plastic.
The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires a distributor of beverage containers to pay to the department a redemption payment for every beverage container sold or offered for sale, as provided. The act requires the department to deposit those amounts into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The act requires the fund to be continuously appropriated to the department for specified purposes, including, among other things, to pay refund values, administrative fees, and processing payments associated with the collection and recycling of empty beverage containers. Until July, 1, 2027, the act authorizes the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet,
sheet, or other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer, as provided. Through the 2025–26 fiscal year, the act continuously appropriates money from the fund to the department for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers for empty plastic beverage containers, as provided.
This bill would require the department to establish a singular market development payment for empty polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic beverage containers collected for recycling and a singular market development payment for PET plastic collected and processed into flake or pellet, as specified. By authorizing a new use for continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would authorize the department to expend up to $35,000,000 annually for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers. The bill would
extend the department’s authority to pay a market development payment from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2029, inclusive.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a driver’s license to an applicant when the department determines that the applicant is lawfully entitled to a license. Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a pilot program to evaluate the use of optional mobile or digital alternatives to driver’s licenses and identification cards, subject to certain requirements, and authorizes the pilot program to include the issuance of mobile or digital Real ID driver’s licenses or identification cards upon authorization of the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. Existing law prohibits a person from possessing, or having under their control, more than one driver’s license.
This bill
would
exempt from that multiple driver’s licenses prohibition a person who possesses, or otherwise has under their control, a digital driver’s license issued pursuant to the above-described pilot program and a physical driver’s license.

Current Bill Text

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