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SB-693 • 2026

Employees: meal periods.

Employees: meal periods.

Energy Labor
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Cortese
Last action
2025-07-30
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 95, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on what constitutes a 'valid collective bargaining agreement' for this exception.

Meal Breaks for Water Company Workers

The law creates an exception allowing water company workers to work more than five hours without taking a meal break if they are covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates an exception from the general rule that employees must take a meal period of at least 30 minutes after working for more than five hours, specifically for water company workers under certain conditions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Water corporation employees
  • Employers of water corporations

Terms To Know

Meal period
A break during work when an employee can eat and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Water corporation
A company that provides water to people in a community.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the conditions of the collective bargaining agreement required for this exception.
  • This law only applies to workers at water corporations and does not affect other types of jobs.

Bill History

  1. 2025-07-30 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 95, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-07-30 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-07-25 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.

  4. 2025-07-17 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-07-17 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2595.) Ordered to the Senate.

  6. 2025-07-10 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  7. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 9).

  8. 2025-06-26 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  9. 2025-05-29 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on L. & E.

  10. 2025-05-15 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  11. 2025-05-15 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 34. Noes 0. Page 1091.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  12. 2025-05-13 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  13. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.

  14. 2025-05-02 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 12.

  15. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 967.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  16. 2025-04-11 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 30.

  17. 2025-03-05 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.

  18. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  19. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  20. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 693, Cortese.
Employees: meal periods.
Existing law generally prohibits an employer from employing an employee for a work period of more than 5 hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than 30 minutes. Existing law creates exceptions from this prohibition for employees in specified occupations, including employees of an electrical corporation, a gas corporation, or a local publicly owned electric utility covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement meeting certain conditions. Existing law charges the Labor Commissioner with enforcement of these provisions.
This bill would also create an exception from the above-described prohibition for employees of a water corporation, as defined.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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