AB191 - 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Amended IN Senate August 28, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 191 Introduced by Assembly Member Gabriel Committee on Budget (Assembly Members Gabriel (Chair), Addis, Ahrens, Alvarez, Bennett, Bonta, Caloza, Connolly, Fong, Haney, Hart, Jackson, Lee, Ortega, Patel, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rogers, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Stefani, Ward, and Wilson) January 08, 2025 An act relating to the Budget Act of 2025. An act to add and repeal Section 18657 of the Business and Professions Code, to add and repeal Section 18941.19 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend, repeal, and add Sections 30515 and 32105 of, and to add and repeal Sections 29615.1, 30300.1, and 30352.1 of, the Penal Code, and to add Sections 17053.98.3 and 23698.3 to the Revenue and Taxation Code, relating to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 191, as amended, Committee on Budget. Budget Act of 2025. 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (1) Existing law, the State Athletic Commission Act, establishes in the Department of Consumer Affairs the State Athletic Commission with prescribed licensing, regulatory, and disciplinary functions relating to boxing, wrestling, and martial arts. The act prohibits an event from taking place without the prior approval of the commission. This bill, for a specified period, would exempt any contests conducted under the supervision or control of an entity authorized by the International Olympic Committee or the International Paralympic Committee from the above provisions. (2) Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services. Existing law requires the commission to approve and adopt building standards and to codify those standards in the California Building Standards Code. Existing law requires the commission to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the code in its entirety once every 3 years. Existing law requires the responsibility for the enforcement and administration of building standards to remain in the state or local agency, as specified. This bill would, until January 1, 2029, require temporary structures, as defined, including tents, membrane structures, and temporary special event structures, for any facility or venue deemed necessary by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028 (Olympic Organizing Committee) to be governed by the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code, and would exempt these structures from all local amendments to that code. The bill would authorize the local building and fire code officials to approve installation of these structures for specified periods of time if certain requirements are met, as applicable. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to establish a task group, as provided, to review requests from the Olympic Organizing Committee for alternate means of protection for fire and panic safety, and to issue a written recommendation to the applicable enforcing agency for each request. The bill would authorize the aggregate area limitations and separation requirements applicable to the structures described above to be modified through an alternate means of protection reviewed by the task group and approved by the applicable local building or fire code official, as provided. The bill would require a local enforcing agency that deviates from the task group’s written recommendations to provide the applicant and the task group with specified information, including an explanation of why the departure is necessary to provide an equivalent level of protection for fire and panic safety. By increasing the duties of local officials relating to approving the installation of structures for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law prohibits a minor from possessing any firearm and makes a violation of this prohibition is a crime. Existing law exempts from this prohibition a minor who is accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or a responsible adult, as specified, among other circumstances. This bill, for a specified period, would also exempt from this prohibition a minor who is actively engaged in, or is going to or from, any event conducted under the supervision or control of an entity authorized by the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Shooting Sport Federation, or World Shooting Para Sport. (4) Existing law prohibits an ammunition vendor from selling or otherwise transferring ownership of any ammunition without, at the time of delivery, legibly recording specified information and makes a violation of this prohibition a crime. Existing law requires an ammunition vendor to verify with the Department of Justice that a purchaser is authorized to purchase ammunition. Existing law exempts these provisions from a sale or other transfer of ownership of ammunition by ammunition vendors to, among other people, a gunsmith and a wholesaler. This bill, for a specified period, would also exempt from these provisions sales or transfers of ownership of ammunition by ammunition vendors to any competitor of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, who presents an accredited credential issued by, and will participate in any competitive or training event that utilizes firearms and is conducted under the supervision or control of an entity authorized by, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Shooting Sport Federation, or World Shooting Para Sport, as specified. (5) Existing law prohibits the sale of ammunition to persons under 18 years of age, and prohibits the sale of specified ammunition to persons under 21 years of age. Existing law makes a violation of these prohibitions a crime. This bill, for a specified period, would exempt from these prohibitions a transaction, sale, or transfer of ammunition between an ammunition vendor and any competitor of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games who presents an accredited credential issued by, and will participate in any competitive or training event that utilizes firearms and is conducted under the supervision or control of an entity authorized by, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Shooting Sport Federation, or World Shooting Para Sport, as specified. (6) Existing law makes it a crime to manufacture an assault weapon or unsafe handgun, except as specified. For these purposes, existing law defines an assault weapon to mean certain semiautomatic firearms, including specified rifles, pistols, and shotguns and defines an unsafe handgun as any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person, as specified. Existing law excludes from these definitions pistols that are designed expressly for use in Olympic target shooting events and are sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee and by USA Shooting, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to create a program to exempt new models of competitive pistols from being classified as an assault weapon or unsafe handgun. This bill, until January 1, 2029, would also exclude pistols used in Paralympic target shooting events and sanctioned by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028 and the International Paralympic Committee from the definition of assault weapon and unsafe handgun. By June 30, 2028, the bill would require the department, in coordination with the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028, to supplement the list of exempted competitive pistols anticipated to be used in the 2028 Olympic or Paralympic Games, as specified. The bill would make an appropriation of $100,000 to the Department of Justice for administrative costs related to the administration of the above-described provisions. (7) The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including numerous motion picture credits, to be allocated by the California Film Commission in differing amounts equal to specified percentages of the qualified expenditures of a qualified motion picture in this state. Existing law allows a credit to a qualified taxpayer for specified percentages of the qualified expenditures for the production of a qualified motion picture produced in the state at a certified studio construction project, defined to include the construction or renovation of one or more soundstages located in the state. This bill would provide that a qualified motion picture filmed on a soundstage that is, or is part of, a certified studio construction project, leased by a qualified taxpayer on or before September 1, 2026, for the purposes of filming a qualified motion picture, that subsequently became unavailable for filming because that soundstage was subleased to an organization directly associated with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as determined by the California Film Commission, is deemed to be filmed at a certified studio construction project, as specified, if the filming occurs at a qualified alternative soundstage, as defined. (8) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the 2028 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. (9) 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. (10) 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. (11) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2025. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO YES Fiscal Committee: NO YES Local Program: NO YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 18657 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read: 18657. (a) This chapter shall not apply to any contests conducted under the supervision or control of an entity authorized by the International Olympic Committee or the International Paralympic Committee. (b) This section shall become inoperative upon the later of December 31, 2028, or the conclusion of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and, as of January 1, 2029, is repealed. SEC. 2. Section 18941.19 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 18941.19. (a) For purposes of this section, all of the following definitions apply: (1) “Periodic inspections” means additional and follow-up inspections described in subsections 1 and 2 of Section 3103.1.1 of Chapter 31 of the 2025 edition of the California Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations). (2) “Temporary structure” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 202 of Chapter 2 of the 2025 edition of the California Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations). (b) Notwithstanding any other law, for any facility or venue deemed necessary by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028, all of the following shall apply: (1) Temporary structures, including, but not limited to, tents, membrane structures, and temporary special event structures shall be governed by the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), and shall be exempt from all local amendments to the California Building Standards Code. (2) Temporary structures, other than tents, membrane structures, and temporary special event structures, may be approved by the local building and fire code officials for installation for a total period not exceeding 360 days. The local building and fire code officials may approve an extended period of installation exceeding 360 days but not exceeding 540 days if the extension is necessary to support activities related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the structure remains in compliance with all applicable requirements of the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code and all conditions of approval. Periodic inspections shall be conducted by the local building and fire code officials throughout the extended period to verify continued compliance with the 2025 edition of the California Building Standards Code and all conditions of approval. (3) (A) Tents and membrane structures complying with the 2025 edition of the California Fire Code (Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), may be approved by the local fire code official for installation for a total period not exceeding 180 days. The local fire code official may approve an extended period of installation exceeding 180 days but not exceeding 360 days if the extension is necessary to support activities related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The tent or membrane structure shall remain in compliance with all applicable requirements of the 2025 edition of the California Fire Code and all conditions of approval. Periodic inspections shall be conducted by the local fire code official throughout the extended period to verify continued compliance with the 2025 edition of the California Fire Code and all applicable conditions of approval. (B) As an alternative to subparagraph (A), a tent or membrane structure that complies with the applicable requirements of the 2025 edition of the California Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) may be approved by the local building and fire code officials for installation for a total period not exceeding 360 days. The local building and fire code officials may approve an extended period of installation exceeding 360 days but not exceeding 540 days if the extension is necessary to support activities related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The tent or membrane structure shall remain in compliance with all applicable requirements of the 2025 edition of the California Building Code and all conditions of approval. Periodic inspections shall be conducted by the local building and fire code officials throughout the extended period to verify continued compliance with the 2025 edition of the Cal [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]