The deadline for bill introductions is this Friday, February 20th. Bills have been trickling in, but with a slow start so far, there will likely be an influx of submissions late in the week. Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas has said that 2026 will be about affordability, meaning legislation to lower utility bills and the costs of housing construction will likely be a priority this session.

SBC and the Sierra Consortium are already closely following AB 35 (Alvarez) and AB 107 (Gabriel), which would provide Administrative Procedure Act (APA) exemptions for Prop 4. The legislation allocating Prop 4 funding that came together at the end of the 2025 legislative session did not include an exemption from the APA, which has been standard in previous natural resource bonds. As a result, agencies are now experiencing significant delays in funding rollouts as they navigate these new regulatory requirements. AB 35 has already passed the Assembly with no opposition and is currently awaiting assignment to a policy committee in the Senate. AB 107 could move forward sooner as part of an early-action budget package. Since they address different phases of Prop 4 appropriations, passing both is necessary to ensure voter-approved dollars can be invested quickly and efficiently.