CASA Takes Positions on 2026 Legislation
The CASA State Legislative Committee met on March 13th and April 2nd to review and take positions on bills of interest that have been introduced in the 2026 Legislative Session. All bills were required to be introduced by February 20th and are now in the process of being referred to the relevant policy committees for review and hearing. Over the next several weeks all bills need to be heard and passed in the policy committee process leading up to the May 1st hearing deadline.

CASA has taken official positions on many newly introduced bills moving through the process in 2026. For questions on specific legislation please reach out to Jessica Gauger and Spencer Saks.

Bills of Interest in 2026:

CASA and WateReuse CA Co-Sponsor AB 2777 (Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee)

CASA and WateReuse CA have been working with the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee to introduce a legislative proposal that would advance several key changes to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. The bill has recently been amended with language to provide more flexibility to the SRF program for offering a wider variety of low interest loan terms, which is in turn intended to bolster the long term solvency of the program by generating additional funding to cycle back into the lending capacity. The bill will be scheduled for a hearing later in April after substantive amendments go into print.

SB 1313 (McNerney): This bill is a follow up to Senator McNerney’s bill in 2025 to establish a PFAS Mitigation Fund, which was sponsored by ACWA and CalCities and was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom. The bill proposes to allow PFAS remediation projects to be eligible for funding through the State Revolving Fund programs. CASA has a “work with author” position and alongside WateReuse CA has been advocating for tweaks to the bill to align the proposal with existing SRF policy and processes. The bill is expected to be heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on April 22nd.

SB 1081 (Laird): This bill is focused on an ongoing issue with a small discharger in Senator Laird’s district and aims to amend the definition “a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community” relative to mandatory minimum penalties for violations to waste discharge requirements. CASA has a “Support in concept” position on the bill, and the bill passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on April 8th.

SB 601 (Allen): This bill remains eligible to move as a two-year bill after it was held over in the Assembly Appropriations Committee late in the 2025 Session.  It proposes the establishment of new “nexus waters” permits to backfill permits for discharges to water bodies previously considered as Waters of the United States (WOTUS) prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. U.S. EPA. A broad coalition of stakeholders in engaged on the legislation and CASA, CASQA and CalCities have requested substantive changes to the bill and will continue to engage in negotiations with the author’s office and other stakeholders prior to the two-year bill deadline later this summer.

AB 643 (Wilson): This bill, also a two-year bill, is moving through the process and is now in the Senate. If enacted, it would expand the products eligible for procurement under SB 1383 to include fertilizers licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The bill is sponsored by Lystek and is supported by CASA and will next be heard in the Senate policy committee in June.