Assembly committee advances suite of consumer‑tech bills on AI auditors, bots, privacy signals and more

The Assembly committee advanced a group of consumer and technology bills after extended testimony and debate, moving several measures on to later committees for further review.

Highlights and actions "at a glance"

- AB 1405 (Bauer‑Kahan): Creates a registry and baseline standards for AI auditors to be enrollable through the state’s GovOps portal and requires basic transparency and ethical standards for auditors used by government. The author said the bill does not itself require audits of any specific AI tool but would make it easier for future laws to use enrolled auditors. The committee passed AB 1405, as amended, to Appropriations; roll left open.

- AB 410 (Wilson): Updates California’s bot‑disclosure law to require that automated accounts disclose they are bots upfront, answer truthfully if asked whether they are bots, and not misrepresent themselves as human. The author said disclosures are intended to protect vulnerable users and to bring the statute’s coverage up to date with generative AI chatbots. The committee passed the bill as amended to Appropriations (vote 9–1).

- AB 566 (Lowenthal): Would require web browsers and (by regulation) mobile operating systems to include a one‑click global opt‑out signal for sale/sharing of personal information (global privacy control / opt‑out preference signal). Supporters called it a consumer‑empowerment step; opponents including business and platform groups warned of technical complexity and competitive impacts for small businesses. Committee moved AB 566 as amended to Appropriations (vote in committee recorded, roll left open for absentees).

- AB 392 (Dixon): The “Protect Act” would require age‑verification and signed consent statements from uploaders before sexually explicit material may be posted to adult sites; it also creates a takedown timeline (48 hours) and permits civil action against uploaders and site operators for nonconsensual or minor imagery. Survivors and advocates provided testimony in support; committee passed AB 392 to Judiciary (unanimous recorded vote in committee).

- AB 483 (Erwin): Would require clear pre‑contract disclosure of early termination fees in fixed‑term installment contracts and caps such fees at 20% of the contract amount; the author accepted amendments including an exemption for broadband providers that comply with FCC disclosure rules. The committee passed AB 483 as amended (vote recorded; roll left open).

- AB 1150 (Semmelwein): Raises the per‑day rental car customer fee airports may collect (from $9 to $12) with proceeds limited to maintenance, safety and modernization of rental facilities; proponents said the increase updates a fee not raised since 2010. Committee approved and moved the bill to the next committee (vote recorded).

- AB 1327 (Aguiar‑Curry): Allows consumers to cancel certain home improvement contracts by email and requires providers offer phone numbers to assist cancellation—passed to Judiciary as amended.

- AB 723 (Pellerin): Requires disclosure when listing photos have been digitally staged and requires access to original, unaltered photos online; sponsors framed it as a consumer‑protection, truth‑in‑advertising measure. Committee passed the bill as amended to Appropriations.

Committee members and witnesses

Committee members pressed authors on technical implementation, legal thresholds and potential unintended consequences (e.g., First Amendment and Section 230 issues for platform liability, interoperability and technical standards for opt‑out signals, and small‑business impacts for privacy choices). Industry groups (TechNet, CalChamber, trade coalitions), civil‑liberties groups (EFF), privacy advocates (California Privacy Protection Agency), and consumer and education groups (Common Sense Media, Los Angeles County Office of Education) all testified during the hearing.

Next steps

Most of the bills listed above advanced to Appropriations or Judiciary with committee amendments; authors and stakeholders will continue negotiations in the coming weeks on technical fixes, enforcement language and scope for several measures.

Votes at a glance (formal committee motions referenced in transcript)

- AB 1405 (Bauer‑Kahan): Passed as amended to Appropriations Committee; recorded committee motion and roll left open (committee transcript). - AB 2 (Lowenthal): Passed as amended to Judiciary Committee (covered in separate article). - AB 410 (Wilson): Passed as amended to Appropriations Committee (vote recorded 9–1 in committee transcript). - AB 566 (Lowenthal): Passed as amended to Appropriations Committee (vote recorded in committee transcript; roll left open). - AB 392 (Dixon): Passed to Judiciary Committee (recorded unanimous vote in committee transcript). - AB 483 (Erwin): Passed as amended to Appropriations Committee (vote recorded 8–4; roll left open). - AB 1150 (Semmelwein): Passed to the next committee; vote recorded 11–1 in committee transcript. - AB 1327 (Aguiar‑Curry): Passed as amended to Judiciary Committee (vote recorded 11–0 in committee transcript). - AB 723 (Pellerin): Passed as amended to Appropriations Committee (vote recorded 13–0 in committee transcript). - AB 1337 (Ward): IPA modernization bill passed as amended to Appropriations Committee (vote recorded 12–1 in committee transcript).

Documents and sources: committee transcript and witness letters listed on the committee record; authors and witnesses cited specific statutes, agency names and prior state and federal rules during testimony.