The State Legislature is considering legislation that would extend skilled workforce, prevailing wage, and labor reporting requirements to privately owned facilities used for pharmaceutical research, development, or production (Covered Facilities). If approved, SB 1185 (Cortese, Arreguín, Becker, Grayson, and Bryan) would not only apply to Covered Facilities during construction, but would also affect subsequent tenant improvements, equipment installation, repairs, and maintenance work.

SB 1185 was passed by the Senate by the May 29, 2026 legislative deadline, meaning that the bill will continue to move forward in the legislative process. It must be finally approved by the State Legislature by August 31, 2026, after which it would be routed to the Governor for approval. Future amendments are expected, and the summary below reflects the status of the bill as of June 10, 2026.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE BILL?

SB 1185 explains:

• “The use of unskilled and untrained construction workers to perform work on pharmaceutical facilities is a risk to public health and safety because these facilities must often meet heightened standards for cleanliness, security, pathogen control, and operational continuity and may need to be repurposed to respond to a public health crisis.”
• “These risks could be ameliorated by requiring contractors and subcontractors that build and maintain pharmaceutical facilities to use a skilled and trained workforce.”

WHAT FACILITIES WOULD BE COVERED?

SB 1185...

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