An act to amend Section 44127 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to air pollution. add Section 12525.6 to the Government Code, relating to artificial intelligence.
SB 69 is a two-part bill that addresses both artificial intelligence oversight and the administration of the Clean Cars 4 All Program. On the AI side, it requires the Attorney General to create and maintain an internal program within the Department of Justice to build expertise on artificial intelligence, including its uses, risks, regulatory issues, and civil rights impacts. The program must include a designated team or office, staff training or recruitment, collaboration with outside experts and state agencies, and public reporting to the Legislature beginning July 1, 2027 and annually thereafter.
On the Clean Cars 4 All side, the bill revises funding and reporting rules for the State Air Resources Board’s program that helps low-income residents replace high-polluting vehicles with cleaner options or mobility vouchers. It allows participating air districts to request additional funding when their available balance falls below four months of expenditures, requires the state board to process those requests on a set timeline, and directs the board to maintain funding so district programs are not minimally disrupted. The bill also adds or clarifies performance metrics, outreach spending limits and justification requirements, and annual reporting to the Legislature and the public on funding allocations and grant outcomes.
The bill would add a new Government Code section creating an Attorney General AI expertise and reporting program, while amending Health and Safety Code Section 44127 to change how Clean Cars 4 All funds are allocated, replenished, and reported. It would affect the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, the State Air Resources Board, participating air districts, and recipients of Clean Cars 4 All grants and mobility vouchers. The measure does not create an appropriation, but it imposes new administrative duties, reporting obligations, and funding-management procedures for an existing air quality program.
The available vote history suggests broad support for the bill at multiple stages, with unanimous or near-unanimous committee votes and a 35-0 Senate third reading vote. The bill was advanced through policy and fiscal committees, though it was also placed on the suspense file at one point and later held in committee under submission, indicating that fiscal or procedural concerns remained part of the process. Overall, the recorded actions point to generally favorable sentiment toward both the AI oversight and Clean Cars 4 All provisions.
The main points of contention appear to be fiscal and administrative rather than ideological. On the Clean Cars 4 All provisions, the bill’s requirements for faster funding disbursement, minimum reserve levels, outreach spending limits, and detailed performance reporting could raise concerns for the Air Resources Board and participating districts about flexibility and workload. On the AI provisions, the requirement that the Attorney General build internal expertise and issue annual public reports may prompt questions about staffing, scope, and overlap with other state technology and policy entities. The suspense-file action suggests lawmakers were attentive to cost and implementation issues even though the bill advanced with strong support.