CA SB 579

Author: Steve Padilla
Mental health and artificial intelligence working group.
05/23/2025 - May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
SB 579, as amended, Padilla. Mental health and artificial intelligence working group. Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several state entities, including, among others, the State Personnel Board, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Administrative Law. Under existing law, the Government Operations Agency is under the direction of an executive officer known as the Secretary of Government Operations, who is appointed by, and holds office at the pleasure of, the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate.This bill would require the secretary, by July 1, 2026, to appoint a mental health and artificial intelligence working group, as specified, that would evaluate certain issues to determine the role of artificial intelligence in mental health settings. The bill would require the working group to take input from various stakeholder groups, including health organizations and academic institutions, and conduct at least 3 public meetings. The bill would require the working group to produce a report of its findings to the Legislature by July 1, 2028, and issue a followup report by January 1, 2030, as specified. The bill would repeal its provisions on July 1, 2031.

CA SB 420

Author: Steve Padilla
Automated decision systems.
06/09/2025 - Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
SB 420, as amended, Padilla. Automated decision systems. The California AI Transparency Act requires a covered provider, as defined, of a generative artificial intelligence system to make available an AI detection tool at no cost to the user that meets certain criteria, including that the tool outputs any system provenance data, as defined, that is detected in the content. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 grants a consumer various rights with respect to personal information that is collected or sold by a business, as defined, including the right to direct a business that sells or shares personal information about the consumer to third parties not to sell or share the consumer’s personal information, as specified.This bill would generally regulate a developer or a deployer of a high-risk automated decision system, as defined, including by requiring a developer or a deployer to perform an impact assessment on the high-risk automated decision system before making it publicly available or deploying it, as prescribed. The bill would require a state agency to require a developer of a high-risk automated decision system deployed by the state agency to provide to the state agency a copy of the impact assessment and would require the state agency to keep that impact assessment confidential. The bill would also require a developer to provide to the Attorney General or Civil Rights Department, within 30 days of a request from the Attorney General or the Civil Rights Department, a copy of an impact assessment and would require the impact assessment to be kept confidential.This bill would authorize the Attorney General or the Civil Rights Department to bring a specified civil action to enforce compliance with the bill, as prescribed, and would authorize the Attorney General or the Civil Rights Department to allow a developer or deployer to cure, within 45 days of receiving a certain notice of a violation, the noticed violation, as prescribed.This bill would prohibit a state agency from awarding a contract for a high-risk automated decision system unless the person to whom the contract is awarded has certified that the high-risk automated decision system does not violate, among other civil rights laws, the bill. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.