Senate BillVetoedEducation
SB 608: Sexual health.
What SB 608 does, verified September 28, 2026
This bill aims to improve sexual health education and access to health services for California's students. The state department of education will monitor compliance with existing laws requiring comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education in schools. Public schools will no longer be able to prohibit school-based health centers from providing internal and external condoms to students. Retail establishments cannot refuse to sell nonprescription contraception to individuals based on age, and a violation of this provision is exempt from the criminal penalty. The state will reimburse local agencies and school districts for costs mandated by the bill if the commission on state mandates determines that the bill contains such costs.
Bill journey
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6ChapteredPending
Last action: In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. (2026-09-27)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions34 total · showing 5
| Sep. 27, 2026 | In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. |
| Sep. 27, 2026 | Vetoed by the Governor. |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m. |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 9.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 58. Noes 17. Page 6467.) Ordered to the Senate. |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, August 28, 2026 · 1,576 words
| Enrolled August 28, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 25, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly August 13, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly June 22, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate March 24, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 608
| Introduced by Senator Menjivar (Coauthor: Senator Wiener) (Coauthor: Assembly Member Zbur) |
February 20, 2025 |
An act to add Section 51932.5 to, and to add Article 16 (commencing with Section 49595) to Chapter 9 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, the Education Code, and to add Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 111824) to Part 5 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to sexual health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 608, Menjivar. Sexual health.
(1) Existing law, the California Healthy Youth Act, requires school districts, defined to include county boards of education, county superintendents of schools, the California School for the Deaf, the California School for the Blind, and charter schools, to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified.
This bill would authorize the State Department of Education to monitor compliance with the requirements of the California Healthy Youth Act as part of its annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs.
(2) Existing law establishes the Office of School-Based Health Programs for the purpose of assisting local educational agencies regarding the current health-related programs under the purview of the State Department of Education including, among other duties, coordinating school health program activities with public health, social services, environmental, and local educational agencies, and other public and private entities.
This bill would prohibit a local educational agency, as defined, from prohibiting school-based health centers, as defined, that serve schools of the local educational agency from making internal and external condoms available and easily accessible to pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, at the school-based health center site and would require a school of a local educational agency to allow condoms to be made available to pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, during the course of, or in connection with, educational or public health programs and initiatives, as provided. To the extent the bill imposes additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3) Under existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, the State Department of Public Health generally regulates the packaging, labeling, advertising, and sale of food, drugs, devices, and cosmetics, in accordance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. A violation of those provisions is generally a crime. Existing law sets forth various other provisions relating to the furnishing and health care coverage of certain types of contraception.
This bill would, with certain exceptions, prohibit a retail establishment, as defined, from refusing to furnish nonprescription contraception to a person solely on the basis of age by means of any conduct, including, but not limited to, requiring the customer to present identification for purposes of demonstrating their age. Under the bill, a violation of that prohibition would be exempt from the above-described criminal penalty.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in five people in the United States have a sexually transmitted infection (STI). More than 325,000 Californians were infected with syphilis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea in 2019.
(2) California youth, and in particular youth of color, are disproportionately impacted by the STI crisis. Statewide data indicate over one-half of all STIs in the state are experienced among California youth 15 to 24 years of age, inclusive. Young people in this age group make up more than 5 out of every 10 chlamydia cases in California, and more than 87 percent are youth of color.
(3) Most STIs go undetected and can lead to serious, life-threatening health problems later in life, including permanent tissue damage, blindness, infertility, and cancer related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. STIs also increase both the transmission and acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). According to estimates provided by the Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Control Branch of the State Department of Public Health, the state spends approximately one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) annually on health costs associated with STIs.
(4) Condoms are an effective tool to reduce STI transmission, but condom use among sexually active teens has declined over the last decade. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) shows that in 2023, an average of 21 percent of California high school pupils were sexually active and 52 percent of those pupils did not use condoms during their last sexual intercourse.
(5) Teens face multiple barriers to accessing condoms that deter them from seeking and securing the resources they need to protect themselves against STIs and unintended pregnancy. Through Essential Access Health’s TeenSource Condom Access Project, young people reported that cost is the biggest obstacle to obtaining condoms. When cost barriers remain, youth with low incomes are often left without the option to regularly use condoms to help protect their health and prevent an unintended pregnancy from occurring.
(6) Teens have also long reported experiencing difficulties while attempting to purchase condoms at some pharmacies and retailers, including being judged, shamed, or harassed, or being asked to show an identification card despite the fact that there are no age requirements for condom purchases.
(7) California has an interest in promoting and expanding equitable access to tools and resources that empower youth to make healthier choices and reduce the spread of STIs.
(b) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to improve public health outcomes and reduce STI rates among California youth by making condoms more accessible for young people.
SEC. 2.
Article 16 (commencing with Section 49595) is added to Chapter 9 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:Article 16. Miscellaneous Provisions
49595.
(a) A local educational agency shall not prohibit a school-based health center that serves a school of the local educational agency from making internal and external condoms available and easily accessible to pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, at the school-based health center site.(b) A school of a local educational agency shall allow condoms to be made available to pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, during the course of, or in connection with, educational or public health programs and initiatives, including, but not limited to, condoms provided by any of the following:
(1) Community organizations or other entities providing instruction for purposes of the California Healthy Youth Act (Chapter 5.6 (commencing with Section 51930) of Part 28).
(2) Pupil peer health programs, clubs, or groups.
(3) Pupil health fairs conducted on campus.
(4) School-based health center staff.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(2) (A) “School-based health center” means a center or program, located at or near a school of a local educational agency, that provides age-appropriate health care services at the program site or through referrals.
(B) A school-based health center includes a center or program described in subparagraph (A) that may conduct routine physical, mental health, and oral health assessments, and provide referrals for any services not offered onsite.
(C) A school-based health center includes a center or program described in subparagraph (A) that may serve two or more nonadjacent schools or local educational agencies.
SEC. 3.
Section 51932.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:51932.5.
The department may monitor compliance with the requirements of this chapter as part of its annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs.SEC. 4.
Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 111824) is added to Part 5 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:CHAPTER 7.8. Nonprescription Contraception
111824.
(a) A retail establishment shall not refuse to furnish nonprescription contraception to a person solely on the basis of age by means of any conduct, including, but not limited to, requiring the customer to present identification for purposes of demonstrating their age.(b) Section 111825 does not apply to a violation of subdivision (a).
(c) If, under subsequent provisions of federal law, a nonprescription contraception becomes subject to restrictions on the basis of age, subdivision (a) shall not apply to the refusal to furnish that contraception on the basis of age.
(d) For purposes of this section, “retail establishment” means any vendor that, in the regular course of business, furnishes nonprescription contraception at retail directly to the public, including, but not limited to, a pharmacy, grocery store, or other retail store.
SEC. 5.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.Text of SB 608 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions