KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to California

AB-841 • 2026

State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires.

State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires.

Technology
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Patel
Last action
2025-10-06
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 382, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify what happens if recommendations are not followed or how funding will be provided, leaving these points uncertain.

Personal Protective Equipment for Battery Fires

This law requires the State Fire Marshal to create a working group with experts to study and recommend personal protective equipment for firefighters dealing with lithium-ion battery fires.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the State Fire Marshal, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, to form a working group by January 1, 2031, to make recommendations regarding personal protective equipment used in responding to lithium-ion battery fires.
  • The working group must review the latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure to lithium and other heavy metals.
  • They need to study technology for cleaning personal protective equipment.
  • The group also needs to determine whether different types of personal protective equipment should be used for different kinds of lithium-ion battery fires.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State Fire Marshal
  • Division of Occupational Safety and Health
  • Firefighters dealing with lithium-ion battery fires

Terms To Know

lithium-ion batteries
A type of rechargeable battery used in many devices like phones, laptops, and electric vehicles.
decontamination practices
Steps taken to clean equipment after it has been exposed to dangerous substances or materials.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what will happen if the recommendations are not followed.
  • It is unclear how much funding will be provided for this working group.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 382, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-24 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3380.).

  5. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-11 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2930.).

  7. 2025-09-09 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to special consent calendar.

  8. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  9. 2025-08-29 California Legislative Information

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

  10. 2025-08-29 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).

  11. 2025-08-18 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

  12. 2025-07-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  13. 2025-07-01 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 G.O.

  14. 2025-06-11 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on G.O.

  15. 2025-06-03 California Legislative Information

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

  16. 2025-06-02 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1857.)

  17. 2025-05-27 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  18. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).

  19. 2025-05-07 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  20. 2025-04-24 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  21. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

  22. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

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

  23. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

  24. 2025-03-25 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

  25. 2025-03-24 California Legislative Information

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

  26. 2025-03-24 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on E.M and L. & E.

  27. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  28. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 841, Patel.
State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires.
Existing law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to make changes as may be necessary to standardize all existing fire protective equipment throughout the state.
This bill would require, until January 1, 2031, the State Fire Marshal, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, to develop a working group with specified membership to make recommendations regarding personal protective equipment used in responding to lithium-ion battery fires. The bill would require, at a minimum, the working group to review, and for the purpose of making the recommendations to consider, the latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure
to lithium and other heavy metals, technology to clean personal protective equipment, whether different types of personal protective equipment should be used for different types of lithium-ion battery fires, and current decontamination practices at the fire scene, as specified. The bill would require the recommendations to be submitted to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF