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Measure SB 281
Authors Pérez  
Coauthors: Solache   Caballero   Gabriel   Garcia  
Subject Pleas: immigration advisement.
Relating To relating to criminal procedure.
Title An act to amend Section 1016.5 of the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.
Last Action Dt 2025-10-12
State Chaptered
Status Chaptered
Active? Y
Vote Required Majority
Appropriation No
Fiscal Committee No
Local Program No
Substantive Changes None
Urgency No
Tax Levy No
Leginfo Link Bill
Actions
2025-10-12     Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 666, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-12     Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-09     Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-03     Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2424.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-08-28     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 53. Noes 18. Page 2764.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-08-28     In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-07-15     Read third time and amended.
2025-07-15     Ordered to third reading.
2025-06-18     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-06-17     From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 2.) (June 17).
2025-06-05     Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-05-28     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1291.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-28     In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-03-26     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-03-25     From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 533.) (March 25).
2025-03-07     Set for hearing March 25.
2025-02-14     Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-02-06     From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 8.
2025-02-05     Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Keywords
Tags
Versions
Chaptered     2025-10-12
Enrolled     2025-09-05
Amended Assembly     2025-07-15
Introduced     2025-02-05
Last Version Text
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Pérez</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 1016.5 of the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure. </ns0:Title>
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			<ns0:Subject>Pleas: immigration advisement.</ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Existing law requires the court, prior to the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to advise the defendant that if they are not a citizen, conviction of the crime charged may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization. After January 1, 1978, if the court fails to advise the defendant, as required, and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States, the court, on the defendant’s motion, is required to vacate the judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would
			 require the court to give the above-described advisement verbatim and would clarify the advisement to state that if the defendant is not a citizen of the United States, conviction may result in the specified immigration consequences. The bill would state that for a plea accepted prior to January 1, 2026, it is not the intent of the Legislature that a court’s failure to provide the advisement verbatim requires vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or constitutes grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid, as specified.</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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				Section 1016.5 of the 
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				 is amended to read:
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								(a)
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								Prior to acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any offense punishable as a crime under state law, except offenses designated as infractions under state law, the court shall administer the following advisement verbatim on the record to the defendant:
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							<html:p>If you are not a citizen of the United States, you are hereby advised that conviction of the offense for which you have been charged may have the consequences of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States.</html:p>
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								(b)
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								Upon request, the court shall allow the defendant additional time to consider the
						appropriateness of the plea in light of the advisement as described in this section. If, after January 1, 1978, the court fails to advise the defendant as required by this section and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States, the court, on defendant’s motion, shall vacate the judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty. Absent a record that the court provided the advisement required by this section, the defendant shall be presumed not to have received the required advisement.
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								(c)
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								With respect to pleas accepted prior to January 1, 1978,
						it is not the intent of the Legislature that a court’s failure to provide the advisement required by subdivision (a) of Section 1016.5 should require the vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or constitute grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid. Nothing in this section, however, shall be deemed to inhibit a court, in the sound exercise of its discretion, from vacating a judgment and permitting a defendant to withdraw a plea.
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								(d)
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								The Legislature finds and declares that in many instances involving an individual who is not a citizen of the United States charged with an offense punishable as a crime under state law, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere is entered without the defendant knowing that a conviction of such offense is grounds for deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of
						naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to promote fairness to such accused individuals by requiring in such cases that acceptance of a guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere be preceded by an appropriate warning of the special consequences for such a defendant which may result from the plea. It is also the intent of the Legislature that the court in such cases shall grant the defendant a reasonable amount of time to negotiate with the prosecuting agency in the event the defendant or the defendant’s counsel was unaware of the possibility of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization as a result of conviction. It is further the intent of the Legislature that at the time of the plea no defendant shall be required to disclose their legal status to the court.
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								(e)
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								For a plea accepted prior to January 1, 2026, it is not the intent of the Legislature in amending this section that a court’s failure to provide a verbatim advisement as described in subdivision (a) requires the vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or otherwise constitutes grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid pursuant to subdivision (b). However, this section does not inhibit a court in the exercise of its discretion, or as otherwise required by law, from vacating a judgment and permitting a defendant to withdraw a plea as otherwise authorized by law.
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Last Version Text Digest Existing law requires the court, prior to the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to advise the defendant that if they are not a citizen, conviction of the crime charged may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization. After January 1, 1978, if the court fails to advise the defendant, as required, and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States, the court, on the defendant’s motion, is required to vacate the judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty. This bill would require the court to give the above-described advisement verbatim and would clarify the advisement to state that if the defendant is not a citizen of the United States, conviction may result in the specified immigration consequences. The bill would state that for a plea accepted prior to January 1, 2026, it is not the intent of the Legislature that a court’s failure to provide the advisement verbatim requires vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or constitutes grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid, as specified.