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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-11</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Name>Bauer-Kahan</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 17538.41 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to advertising. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>advertising</ns0:RelatingClause>
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<ns0:Subject>Text message advertisements.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law generally prohibits a person, entity conducting business, candidate, or political committee in this state from transmitting, or causing to be transmitted, a text message advertisement to specified devices. Existing law excepts from this prohibition specific text message advertisements, including a text message advertisement transmitted by a business, candidate, or political committee that has an existing relationship with the subscriber if the subscriber is offered an option not to receive text messages from that business, candidate, or political committee. Existing law defines terms for these purposes, including “text message advertisement.” Existing law enforces these prohibitions pursuant to the provisions related to unfair competition and makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would prohibit an allowed text
message advertisement from being transmitted to a recipient between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., regardless of whether the recipient consented to receiving a text message advertisement. The bill would require a sender to adjust message timing based on the recipient’s local time zone associated with the recipient’s telephone number. The bill would authorize the recipient of a text message advertisement in violation of this timing prohibition to bring a civil action against a transmitter who knew, or should have known, the text message advertisement violated this prohibition. The bill would also authorize a public prosecutor or the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these provisions for specified remedies. The bill would, notwithstanding any other law, exclude a violation of this prohibition from being a crime.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 17538.41 of the
<ns0:DocName>Business and Professions Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>17538.41.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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(1)
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Except as provided in subdivision (b), (c), (d), or (e), a person, entity conducting business, candidate, or political committee in this state shall not transmit, or cause to be transmitted, a text message advertisement to a mobile telephony services handset, pager, or two-way messaging device that is equipped with short message capability or any similar capability allowing the transmission of text messages.
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(2)
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This section shall apply when a text message advertisement is transmitted to a number assigned for mobile telephony service, pager service, or two-way messaging service to a California resident.
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(b)
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This section shall not apply to a text message advertisement transmitted at the direction of a person or entity offering mobile telephony service, pager service, or two-way messaging service if
the subscriber is offered an option to not receive those text messages.
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(c)
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This section shall not apply to a text message advertisement transmitted by a business, candidate, or political committee that has an existing relationship with the subscriber if the subscriber is offered an option not to receive text messages from that business, candidate, or political committee.
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(d)
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This section shall not apply to a text message advertisement transmitted by an affiliate of a business
that has an existing relationship with the subscriber, but only if the subscriber has provided consent to the business with which they have that relationship to receive text messages from affiliates of that business. “Affiliate” means any company that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, another company.
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<html:p>
(e)
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This section shall not apply to electronic mail messages that are forwarded, without the knowledge of the sender, to a mobile telephony services handset, pager, or two-way messaging device.
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(f)
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(1)
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A text message advertisement that meets the
conditions set forth in subdivision (b), (c), (d), or (e) shall not be transmitted to a recipient between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., regardless of whether the recipient has consented to receiving a text message advertisement.
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(2)
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For the purposes of this subdivision, a sender shall adjust message timing based on the recipient’s local time zone as associated with the recipient’s telephone number.
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(3)
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(A)
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A recipient of a text message advertisement in violation of this subdivision may bring a civil action against the transmitter who knew, or should have known, the text message advertisement violated this subdivision.
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(B)
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A recipient who prevails in a civil action pursuant to this subdivision
may be awarded any of the following relief:
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<html:p>
(i)
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Five hundred dollars ($500) per text message advertisement, actual damages, or statutory damages, whichever amount is greater.
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(ii)
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Punitive damages.
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(iii)
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Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
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(iv)
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Any other available relief, including injunctive relief.
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(C)
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A public prosecutor or the Attorney General may bring a civil action to enforce this subdivision to obtain any of the following relief:
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<html:p>
(i)
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A civil penalty of up to $500 per person, per text message advertisement.
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<html:p>
(ii)
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Injunctive and other equitable
relief.
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(iii)
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Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
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(iv)
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Any other relief the court deems appropriate.
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(D)
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The remedies provided by this subdivision are cumulative and shall not be construed as restricting a remedy that is available under any other law.
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(4)
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Notwithstanding any other law, a violation of this subdivision shall not be a crime.
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(g)
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Subdivision (a) shall not impose an obligation on a person or entity offering mobile telephony service, pager service, or two-way messaging service to control the transmission of a text message advertisement unless the message is transmitted at the direction of that person or entity.
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(h)
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For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
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(1)
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“Mobile
telephony service” means commercially available interconnected mobile phone services that provide access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via mobile communication devices employing radiowave technology to transmit calls, including cellular radiotelephone, broadband Personal Communications Services (PCS), and digital Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR).
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(2)
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“Text message advertisement” means a message, image, or video the principal purpose of which is to promote the sale of goods or services, or to promote a political purpose or objective, to the recipient, and consisting of advertising material for the lease, sale, rental, gift offer, or other disposition of any realty, goods, services, or extension of credit, or advertising material for political purposes.
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