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SB-1184 • 2026

California Environmental Quality Act.

California Environmental Quality Act.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
McGuire
Last action
2026-02-26
Official status
Referred to Com. on RLS.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify which projects will need an environmental impact report, leaving this detail open-ended.

California Environmental Quality Act

The California Environmental Quality Act requires government agencies to study and report on how projects might harm the environment before approving them.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a lead agency to prepare an environmental impact report for projects that could significantly affect the environment.
  • Allows a lead agency to write a negative declaration if it finds a project won't have significant effects on the environment.
  • Needs a lead agency to create a mitigated negative declaration when changes can fix any harmful effects of a project.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Government agencies that approve projects
  • People and companies who want to start new projects

Terms To Know

Lead agency
The government group in charge of approving a project.
Environmental impact report
A document that explains how a project might hurt the environment and what can be done to fix it.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify which projects will need an environmental impact report.
  • The bill does not provide details on future laws about protecting the environment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-26 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

  2. 2026-02-19 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 21.

  3. 2026-02-18 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 1184, as introduced, McGuire.
California Environmental Quality Act.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation relating to environmental quality.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF