A bill that would have required health and safety inspections of California's private immigration detention facilities is dead for the year after the Assembly Appropriations Committee shelved it Thursday, Aug. 13, without a recorded vote.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), who authored SB 995, called the Masuma Khan Justice Act, said the committee's action defied the bill's unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate and backing from more than 50 civil rights organizations.

"If cost was the reason this legislation was killed, then I would ask: What is the dollar figure at which protecting human life becomes too expensive?" Pérez said in a statement reported by Colorado Boulevard.

The bill passed the state Senate 39-0 in May and never received a single "no" vote in either chamber. The Appropriations Committee killed it through the suspense file, a common Sacramento practice of quietly shelving bills deemed too costly without forcing members to vote on the record.

The committee placed the bill on its suspense file, effectively killing it for the session without a recorded vote on the bill.

SB 995 would have authorized the California Department of Public Health to inspect the state's eight privately run detention centers for sanitary conditions, air quality, pest control and access to water and nutrition. Operators found in violation would have faced fines of up to $25,000 per day and possible loss of their operating permits, according to Daily News reporting.

The bill is named for Masuma Khan, a 64-year-old Altadena resident and Eaton Fire survivor who was detained by ICE on Oct. 6, 2025, during a routine check-in, according to Pasadena Now. Khan, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 1997 and has no criminal history, was held at the CoreCivic-operated California City Detention Facility in Kern County. Her daughter Riya Khan told KFF Health News that her mother was denied medications for high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and prediabetes during her month in custody. A federal judge ordered her release in the fall of 2025.

Before her detention, Masuma Khan had worked for years at Lucky Boy, the iconic Pasadena fast-food restaurant. Pérez represents California's 25th Senate District, which covers Pasadena and Altadena.

Pérez cited six deaths at privately operated detention facilities in California since last year. Nationally, at least 52 deaths have been reported inside detention centers, according to American Community Media.

Riya Khan said the committee's decision was a setback but that the need for change remains urgent. Shakeel Syed, executive director of the South Asian Network and a bill co-sponsor, said SB 995 could have prevented deaths and suicides in ICE custody. Ritu Mahajan Estes of Public Counsel, another co-sponsor, said supporters would continue pursuing protections in Sacramento, in the courts and in other venues where people are held without basic oversight.

The bill's failure effectively ends its path for this legislative session, which closes in mid-September. The Pasadena Ledger was unable to reach Pérez's office for additional comment. The Assembly Appropriations Committee has not publicly explained its decision.