AB 1881: California Indian Freedom Act of 2026.
<p>The California Indian Freedom Act of 2026 prohibits governmental agencies from substantially burdening the religious beliefs or spiritual practices of California Indians on state public lands, unless the agency demonstrates a compelling government interest and uses the least restrictive means. The act requires agencies to seek written consent from affected tribes before undertaking projects that may harm sacred sites and mandates protection for ceremonial practices and cultural patrimony at the Capitol building annex and grounds. It also exempts information related to sacred sites and religious practices from public record laws.</p>
| Sep. 30, 2026 | Vetoed by Governor. |
| Sep. 10, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| Aug. 30, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 65. Noes 0. Page 6915.). |
| Aug. 30, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
| Aug. 30, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 1.). |
| Enrolled September 03, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 30, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 30, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 27, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 21, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 03, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly May 19, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly May 18, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 16, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 08, 2026 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Ramos (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ahrens, Bauer-Kahan, Connolly, Harabedian, Jackson, Valencia, and Zbur) (Coauthor: Senator Wahab) |
February 12, 2026 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Indian Freedom Act of 2026.SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SEC. 3.
Section 7930.205 of the Government Code is amended to read:7930.205.
The following provisions may operate to exempt certain records, or portions thereof, from disclosure pursuant to this division:SEC. 4.
Section 7930.205 is added to the Government Code, to read:7930.205.
The following provisions may operate to exempt certain records, or portions thereof, from disclosure pursuant to this division:SEC. 5.
Chapter 1.79 (commencing with Section 5097.1000) is added to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:CHAPTER 1.79. California Indian Freedom Act of 2026
5097.1000.
For purposes of this act, the following definitions apply:5097.1001.
(a) A governmental agency shall not substantially burden a California Indian or California Native American tribe’s exercise of religious beliefs or spiritual practices on state lands, except as necessary to protect public safety and security, including their access to and use of sacred sites and objects, and their ability to perform religious ceremonies and rites, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless the governmental agency demonstrates that application of the burden is both of the following:5097.1002.
(a) A governmental agency shall allow California Indians access to sacred sites on state lands for Native American religious, ceremonial, or cultural activities, except where public safety or resource protection make access impossible.5097.1003.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 5097.1001, the Department of General Services, in coordination with the Capitol Protective Section and the Joint Rules Committee, shall, to the greatest extent possible, uphold the religious freedom, ceremonial practices, sacred sites, cultural patrimony, and cultural landscapes of tribes when accessing the State Capitol grounds.5097.1004.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to limit or restrict the authority of the state or any state agency to enter into an agreement, memorandum of understanding, or other arrangement with any tribe to allow access to any state lands for the purpose of conducting religious, cultural, or ceremonial practices.5097.1005.
(a) The application of this chapter is strictly limited to a governmental agency’s management actions that involve only state lands, regardless of whether this limitation is specified in any provision in this chapter.5097.1006.
This chapter shall become operative on January 1, 2028.SEC. 6.
The provisions of this act are severable. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.SEC. 7.
The Legislature finds and declares that Sections 3 and 5 of this act, which amend Section 7930.205 of the Government Code and add Chapter 1.79 (commencing with Section 5097.1000) to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, respectively, impose a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest: