Cal. HSC § 38533 — California Code / Code hsc / Division 25.5 / Part 2 / Section 38533
Section 38533
Status: in_force

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Climate reporting organization” means a nonprofit climate reporting organization contracted by the state board pursuant to subdivision (d) that both:

(A) Currently operates a climate reporting organization for organizations operating in the United States.

(B) Has experience with climate-related financial risk disclosure by entities operating in California.

(2) “Climate-related financial risk” means material risk of harm to immediate and long-term financial outcomes due to physical and transition risks, including, but not limited to, risks to corporate operations, provision of goods and services, supply chains, employee health and safety, capital and financial investments, institutional investments, financial standing of loan recipients and borrowers, shareholder value, consumer demand, and financial markets and economic health.

(3) “Climate-related financial risk report” means a report required by subdivision (b).

(4) “Covered entity” means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other business entity formed under the laws of the state, the laws of any other state of the United States or the District of Columbia, or under an act of the Congress of the United States with total annual revenues in excess of five hundred million United States dollars ($500,000,000) and that does business in California. Applicability shall be determined based on the business entity’s revenue for the prior fiscal year. “Covered entity” does not include a business entity that is subject to regulation by the Department of Insurance in this state, or that is in the business of insurance in any other state.

(b) (1) (A) On or before January 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter, a covered entity shall prepare a climate-related financial risk report disclosing both of the following:

(i) Its climate-related financial risk, in accordance with the recommended framework and disclosures contained in the Final Report of Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (June 2017) published by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, or any successor thereto, or pursuant to an equivalent reporting requirement as described in paragraph (3).

(ii) Its measures adopted to reduce and adapt to climate-related financial risk disclosed pursuant to clause (i).

(B) If a covered entity does not complete a report consistent with all required disclosures pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (A), the covered entity shall provide the recommended disclosures to the best of its ability, provide a detailed explanation for any reporting gaps, and describe steps the covered entity will take to prepare complete disclosures.

(2) Climate-related financial risk reports may be consolidated at the parent company level. If a subsidiary of a parent company qualifies as a covered entity pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), the subsidiary is not required to prepare a separate climate-related financial risk report.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a covered entity satisfies the requirements of paragraph (1) if it prepares a publicly accessible biennial report that includes climate-related financial risk disclosure information by any of the following methods:

(A) Pursuant to a law, regulation, or listing requirement issued by any regulated exchange, national government, or other governmental entity, including a law or regulation issued by the United States government, incorporating disclosure requirements consistent with clause (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), including the International Financial Reporting Standards Sustainability Disclosure Standards, as issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board.

(B) Voluntarily using a framework that meets the requirements of clause (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) or the International Financial Reporting Standards Sustainability Disclosure Standards, as issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board.

(4) To the extent a climate-related financial risk report contains a description of a covered entity’s greenhouse gas emissions or voluntary mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, the state board may consider the covered entity’s claims if those claims are verified by a third-party independent verifier.

(c) (1) On or before January 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter, a covered entity shall make available to the public, on its own internet website, a copy of the report required by this section.

(2) (A) On or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, a covered entity shall pay a fee to the state board for the administration and implementation of this section.

(B) (i) The state board shall set the fee described in subparagraph (A) at an amount adequate to cover the state board’s full costs of administrating and implementing this section. The total amount of fees collected shall not exceed the state board’s actual and reasonable costs to administer and implement this section.

(ii) The state board may adjust the fee in any year to reflect changes in the California Consumer Price Index during the prior year.

(C) The proceeds of the fees imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited in the Climate-Related Financial Risk Disclosure Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the state board and shall be expended by the state board for the state board’s activities pursuant to this section and to reimburse any outstanding loans made from other funds used to finance the initial costs of the state board’s activities pursuant to this section. Money in the fund shall not be expended for any other purpose not described in this subparagraph.

(d) The state board may contract with a climate reporting organization to do any of the following it deems appropriate:

(1) Biennially prepare a public report that contains all of the following elements:

(A) A review of the disclosure of climate-related financial risk contained in a subset of publicly available climate-related financial risk reports by industry.

(B) Analysis of the systemic and sectorwide climate-related financial risks facing the state based on the contents of climate-related financial risk reports, including, but not limited to, potential impacts on economically vulnerable communities.

(C) Identification of inadequate or insufficient reports.

(2) Regularly convene representatives of sectors responsible for reporting climate-related financial risks, state agencies responsible for oversight of reporting sectors, investment managers, academic experts, standard-setting organizations, climate and corporate sustainability organizations, labor union representatives whose members work in impacted sectors, and other stakeholders to offer input on current best practices regarding the disclosure of financial risks resulting from climate change, including, but not limited to, proposals to update the definition of “climate-related financial risk,” and the framework or disclosure standard of “climate-related financial risk reports” that meets the requirements of clause (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).

(3) Monitor federal regulatory actions among agency members of the federal Financial Stability Oversight Council, as well as nonindependent regulators overseen by the White House.

(e) Any contract for services with a reporting organization shall be considered a noninformation technology services contract for procurement purposes.

(f) (1) Section 38580 does not apply to a violation of this section.

(2) The state board shall adopt regulations that authorize it to seek administrative penalties from a covered entity that fails to make the report required by this section publicly available on its internet website or publishes an inadequate or insufficient report. The administrative penalties authorized by this section shall be imposed and recovered by the state board in administrative hearings conducted pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 60065.1) and Article 4 (commencing with Section 60075.1) of Subchapter 1.25 of Chapter 1 of Division 3 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations. The administrative penalties imposed on a reporting entity shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in a reporting year. In imposing penalties for a violation of this section, the state board shall consider all relevant circumstances, including both of the following:

(A) The violator’s past and present compliance with this section.

(B) Whether the violator took good faith measures to comply with this section and when those measures were taken.

(g) A regulation adopted by the state board pursuant to this section is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code).