BREAKING: AB 711 Cruises Through Senate Judiciary—Court Reporters Finally Get a “Double-Booking” Fix!
Cue the confetti cannons in Sacramento. On June 24, 2025, CalDRA- and CCRA-backed AB 711 (Asm. Phillip Chen) sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote. That clean sweep follows a 70-0 thrashing of the nay column on the Assembly Floor earlier this year.
Why This Bill Matters (a Lot)
Double-booking chaos. Too many attorneys hire their own reporter for the same motion hearing, leaving three freelancers wasting their time while 20 other courts go dark.
Wasted talent & dollars. Reporters lose an entire workday; litigants pay triple. Courts feel the reporter shortage firsthand.
What's AB 711’s fix? It forces parties to meet and confer about reporter coverage before a motion -- think of it as calendar Tetris with a legal mandate.
Bottom line: one reporter per hearing, more reporters available elsewhere, and nobody invoices for sitting on a bench all afternoon.
The Cheer Section
“(This is a) common sense bill, one that seeks to immediately increase the availability of human and accountable licensees at no cost to the State.”
- Cindy Vega, CalDRA President
“This bill is a vital step in increasing the availability of licensed court reporters statewide.”
- Michelle Caldwell, CCRA President
CalDRA also tipped its hat to Stephanie Leslie for the data dive that proved double-booking was a real thing, and to SEIU for throwing full support behind the measure.
A Two-Decade Shout-Out
Special nod to veteran lobbyist Ed Howard, who not only suggested the legislative angle but drafted AB 711’s first cut. If you’ve ever wondered how a “simple” bill springs to life—spoiler: it’s always the person behind the scenes with a red pen and a lot of coffee.
What Happens Next?
Senate Floor vote. Expect another bipartisan effort later this summer.
And then on to the Governor’s desk. If the pen hits paper, the new meet-and-confer rule could kick in January 1, 2026.
What's the immediate impact? Freelance reporters reclaim workdays, judges see fewer continuances, and law firms dodge duplicate invoices.
Keep your realtime feeds tuned. With AB 711, California just took a big step toward smarter resource management -- and gave every working reporter one less scheduling nightmare to sweat.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
