SB-454 • 2026

State Water Resources Control Board: PFAS Mitigation Program.

Budget

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor: McNerney
Last action: 2026-03-02
Official status: Veto sustained.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on what constitutes 'public benefits' or the exact nature of assistance services beyond grants, loans, and contracts.

PFAS Mitigation Program for Safe Drinking Water

This bill establishes a PFAS mitigation program that creates a fund in the State Treasury and allows the State Water Resources Control Board to use funds from this account to help water suppliers meet PFAS contaminant levels.

What This Bill Does

Creates the PFAS Mitigation Fund in the State Treasury.
Authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to seek out nonstate, federal, and private funds designated for PFAS remediation and treatment and deposit them into the PFAS Mitigation Fund.
Allows the board to expend moneys from the fund as grants, loans, or contracts to water suppliers and sewer system providers for purposes such as covering costs associated with treating drinking water to meet state and federal maximum PFAS contaminant levels.
Requires water suppliers or sewer system providers applying for assistance to include a clear purpose for how funds will be used to provide public benefits related to safe drinking water, recycled water, stormwater, or treated wastewater.

Who It Names or Affects

Water suppliers
Sewer system providers

Terms To Know

PFAS: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are chemicals used in many products that can contaminate water.
State Water Resources Control Board: The agency responsible for managing California's drinking water programs.

Limits and Unknowns

This bill was vetoed by the governor and its status is uncertain.
It will only become active if the Legislature provides funding.

Bill History

2026-03-02 California Legislative Information
Veto sustained.
2026-03-02 California Legislative Information
Stricken from file.
2025-10-01 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2025-10-01 California Legislative Information
Vetoed by the Governor.
2025-09-17 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2742.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2994.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
July 2 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-06-18 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-05 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.
2025-05-28 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-28 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 1283.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1201.) (May 23).
2025-05-16 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-04-21 California Legislative Information
April 21 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 21.
2025-04-08 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-07 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 634.) (April 2).
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-03-11 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 2.
2025-02-26 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 22.
2025-02-19 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 454, McNerney.
State Water Resources Control Board: PFAS Mitigation Program.
Existing law designates the State Water Resources Control Board as the agency responsible for administering specific programs related to drinking water, including, among others, the California Safe Drinking Water Act and the Emerging Contaminants for Small or Disadvantaged Communities Funding Program.
This bill, which would become operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature, would enact a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mitigation program. As part of that program, the bill would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund in the State Treasury and would authorize certain moneys in the fund to be expended by the state board, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes. The bill would authorize the state board to seek out nonstate, federal, and private funds designated for PFAS remediation and treatment and deposit the funds into the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The bill would continuously appropriate
these funds to the state board for specified purposes. The bill would authorize the state board to establish accounts within the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The bill would authorize the state board to expend moneys from the fund in the form of a grant, loan, or contract, or to provide assistance services to water suppliers and sewer system providers, as those terms are defined, for multiple purposes, including, among other things, to cover or reduce the costs for water suppliers associated with treating drinking water to meet the applicable state and federal maximum PFAS contaminant levels. The bill would require a water supplier or sewer system provider to include a clear and definite purpose for how the funds will be used to provide
public benefits to their community related to safe drinking water, recycled water, stormwater, or treated wastewater in order to be eligible to receive funds. The bill would require the state board to adopt guidelines to implement these provisions, as provided.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF