AB-293 • 2026

Groundwater sustainability agency: transparency.

Water

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Bennett
Last action: 2025-10-06
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 359, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify the ease of access or how prominently the information must be displayed on websites.

Making Groundwater Agencies More Transparent

This law requires groundwater sustainability agencies to publish information about their board members and financial interests online.

What This Bill Does

Requires each groundwater sustainability agency to publish the names of its board members on its website or that of a local agency.
Needs each agency to post a link on its site leading to where people can view the statements of economic interests filed by its board members and executives with the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Who It Names or Affects

Groundwater sustainability agencies
People who want to know about groundwater management

Terms To Know

groundwater sustainability agency: A group that manages how water is used in underground areas called basins.
statements of economic interests: Documents that show what financial things a person or company owns, which help avoid conflicts of interest.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify when the law will take effect.
Only applies to groundwater sustainability agencies and does not cover other types of water management groups.

Bill History

2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 359, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 31. Noes 3. Page 2426.).
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-06-10 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 10).
2025-05-07 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
2025-04-02 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-04-01 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 62. Noes 5.)
2025-03-26 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 2.) (March 25).
2025-02-18 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on W. P., & W.
2025-01-23 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee February 22.
2025-01-22 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 293, Bennett.
Groundwater sustainability agency: transparency.
Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans, except as specified. Existing law requires a groundwater sustainability plan to be developed and implemented for each medium- or high-priority basin by a groundwater sustainability agency. Existing law authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as provided. Existing law requires members of the board of directors and the executive, as defined, of a groundwater sustainability agency to file statements of economic interests with the Fair Political Practices Commission using the commission’s online system
for filing statements of economic interests.
This bill would require each groundwater sustainability agency to publish the membership of its board of directors on its internet website, or on the local agency’s internet website, as provided. The bill would also require each groundwater sustainability agency to publish a link on its internet website or its local agency’s internet website to the location on the Fair Political Practices Commission’s internet website where the statements of economic interests, filed by the members of the board and executives of the agency, can be viewed.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF