AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
97
Introduced by Assembly Member Schiavo
February 20, 2026
An act to add Division 21 (commencing with Section 60000) to the Financial Code, Section 39732 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to financial institutions. air pollution.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. Existing law requires the state board to approve and begin implementing a comprehensive short-lived climate pollutant strategy, as specified, to achieve a reduction in the statewide emissions of methane by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030, and requires methane emissions reduction goals to include specified targets to reduce the landfill disposal of organics. The state board has implemented regulations pursuant to the act for the purpose of reducing methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
This bill would require the state board to post on its internet website temperature and monitoring data received by the state board regarding methane emissions from landfills.
This bill would require a depository institution, as defined, to take certain actions that would help protect its customers from financial abuse and deception, as defined, including by requiring a depository institution that suspects financial abuse or deception with respect to any transaction to employ certain preventive measures, as prescribed, except as specified.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(1) California’s original landfill methane regulations (LMRs) were adopted by the State Air Resources Board (state board) in 2010, as a discrete early action measure under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
(2) The LMRs require owners and operators to install and optimally operate landfill gas collection and control systems to minimize emissions, monitor surface methane concentration and other performance parameters, repair emission exceedances and other performance issues, conduct source testing of combustion devices used to destroy methane, keep records of these actions and data, and report compliance information to the state board and local air pollution control districts and air quality management districts.
(3) In 2025, the state board recognized opportunities to improve the LMRs and strengthen the state board’s and the air quality management districts’ and air pollution control districts’ ability to support safe and effective operation of landfill gas collection and control systems.
(4) The proposed amendments aim to leverage new technologies, the latest science and data, and lessons learned to drive further methane emissions reductions in support of the state’s ambitious methane emissions reduction goals.
(5) In addition to reducing methane emissions, improving landfill gas collection and control also reduces emissions of copollutants such as toxic air contaminants, volatile organic compounds, and odorous compounds.
(b) The Legislature further finds and declares the following:
(1) Implementation of the LMRs will support the state’s climate goals and reduce impacts to communities living and working near landfills.
(2) Publicly posting landfill temperature and monitoring data will increase trust and transparency while allowing communities to take proactive steps to protect and advocate for themselves.
SEC. 2.
Section 39732 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
39732.
The state board shall post on its internet website temperature and monitoring data received by the state board regarding methane emissions from landfills.
Division 21 (commencing with Section 60000) is added to the Financial Code, to read:
21.
Financial Abuse and Deception
60000.
As used in this division:
(a) “Account” means a contract for the deposit of funds between a depositor and a depository institution that meets either of the following criteria:
(1) The account is a customer account owned by a customer, whether individually or with one or more other persons.
(2) The account is a line of credit owned by a customer, whether individually or with one or more other persons.
(b) “Customer” means an individual or sole proprietor who has transactional authority over an account with the depository institution.
(c) “Customer-interacting employee” means an employee or contractor of a depository institution whose job duties may include communicating with customers.
(d) “Depository institution” means a bank or credit union doing business in accordance with a license, certificate, or charter issued by the United States or any state, district, territory, or commonwealth of the United States.
(e) “Financial abuse or deception” means any of the following:
(1) Taking, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining the property of a customer, or attempting to take, appropriate, obtain, or retain the property of a customer, for a wrongful use or with intent to defraud.
(2) The inducement of a payment, or attempted inducement of a payment, by a person misrepresenting that person’s identity, that person’s association with or authority to act on behalf of another person, or the ownership of an account to be credited.
(3) An act or omission by a person, including through the use of a power of attorney, guardianship, trustee, or conservatorship of an eligible adult, intended to do either of the following:
(A) Obtain control, through deception, intimidation, or undue influence, over a customer’s money, assets, or property to deprive the customer of the ownership, use, benefit, or possession of the customer’s money, assets, or property.
(B) Convert money, assets, or property of the customer to deprive the customer of the ownership, use, benefit, or possession of the customer’s money, assets, or property.
(f) “Preventive measure” means an action required of a depository institution by Section 60001.
(g) “Suspect transaction” means account activity that is an attempted or successful transfer, withdrawal, or deposit of money, into or from the account, in which the surrounding circumstances are suspicious, unusual, consistent with known deceptive tactics, or likely to be the result of financial abuse or deception.
(h) “Trusted third party” means an individual who is any of the following:
(1) An adult authorized by the customer to be contacted by the depository institution or any individual who is a parent, spouse, or other adult family member of a customer who the depository institution believes is closely associated with the customer.
(2) A coowner, additional authorized signatory, agent under a power of attorney, or beneficiary on a customer’s account.
(3) A trustee, conservator, guardian, or other fiduciary.
60001.
(a) A depository institution shall provide to any customer-interacting employee both of the following when new information becomes available but no less often than once every six months:
(1) Current information about new patterns, modes, and basis for financial abuse or deception.
(2) Training to recognize the signs of financial abuse or deception in customers.
(b) A depository institution shall not ignore or devalue any sign of financial abuse or deception based on the age, language capacity, or education of a customer.
(c) A depository institution shall maintain and execute procedures, including those required by subdivision (d), to intervene for the purpose of eliminating or mitigating financial harm in any suspect transaction.
(d) A depository institution that suspects financial abuse or deception with respect to any in-person suspect transaction shall employ all of the following preventive measures:
(1) A depository institution shall advise the customer to contact the person for whom the customer is initiating the suspect transaction if the customer did not initiate the communication from which the suspected transaction originated and shall inform the customer that the transaction can wait for independent verification because the transaction cannot be undone.
(2) A depository institution shall encourage the customer to contact a nonprofit, nationally recognized fraud hotline that can help determine if the situation is harmful.
(3) If a customer has provided the depository institution with the contact information for an optional trusted third party and the depository institution does not have reason to believe that the trusted third party is causing, or will cause, financial harm to the customer, the depository institution may contact the trusted third party for assistance to intervene in the suspect transaction.
(4) (A) For any suspect transaction, a depository institution shall disclose to the customer that the depository institution cannot be held liable for harms related to the suspect transaction that result in financial abuse or deception if it has complied with this section.
(B) The disclosure required by this paragraph shall be provided in the same language in which the customer customarily conducts transactions or communications with the depository institution.
(e) (1) A depository institution that suspects financial abuse or deception with respect to a suspect transaction that is not made in person and is not expedited shall intervene to prevent financial harm to the customer by, at a minimum, prominently providing the following warning to the customer in the preferred language of the customer and with the last two sentences in bold type that is larger than the other text in the warning:
“If this transaction is the result of a communication that was not initiated by you, you should independently verify the information with the person for whom you are making this transaction. Scammers work hard to rush victims and keep them from disengaging. If this is a legitimate request, verification should not be a problem. If you believe a loved one is in danger, contact the police or another loved one. The transaction cannot be reversed. This institution cannot be held liable pursuant to Division 21 (commencing with Section 60000) of the Financial Code for harms from this transaction related to financial abuse or deception.”
(2) The warning described in this subdivision shall be optimized for all electronic devices upon which a customer may complete a transaction.
(f) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a depository institution that complies with this section, whether it approves distribution of, delays, or denies funds, shall not be held liable for any harm related to financial abuse or deception that results from the specific suspect transaction.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply with respect to a customer who is a minor.
(g) A depository institution that denies a suspected transaction pursuant to contractual terms may do so without providing the customer with the preventative measures described in subdivisions (d) and (e).