The California Assembly approved AB 2624 on a 49-19 vote Tuesday, advancing a privacy bill that would expand the state’s Safe at Home program to cover immigrant service providers, employees and volunteers.
The measure drew unusually pointed floor debate. According to the Assembly floor session summary, lawmakers argued over whether the bill could chill investigative journalism or be misused to shield fraud and harassment, while supporters framed it as a privacy protection for people working in immigrant-serving settings.
The program is housed under the Secretary of State, and the summary says the bill also references the Attorney General’s role in designating protected facilities and investigating fraud. The floor debate included references to First Amendment concerns, investigative reporting, doxxing and misinformation.
The Assembly floor transcript summary identifies AB 2624 as one of the day’s most closely watched votes and says it passed after extensive debate.
The materials reviewed do not include the enrolled bill text or final amendment set, so the exact scope of the protections and any enforcement standards remains unclear from the available record.
