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SB-608 • 2026

Sexual health.

Sexual health.

Crime Education Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Menjivar
Last action
2026-01-27
Official status
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on legal challenges or reimbursement procedures beyond mentioning that mandated costs will be reimbursed according to statutory provisions.

Sexual Health Education and Contraception Access

This bill requires schools to monitor sexual health education, allows school-based health centers to provide condoms, and stops stores from refusing to sell nonprescription contraception based on age.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the State Department of Education to monitor compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act for comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention in grades 7 to 12.
  • Prohibits public schools or school districts from prohibiting certain school-based health centers from making internal and external condoms available and easily accessible to pupils at those centers.
  • Prohibits retail establishments from refusing to sell nonprescription contraception based on a customer's age, except for specific cases.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts and charter schools in California
  • Retail stores that sell nonprescription contraception
  • Students in grades 7 to 12

Terms To Know

Comprehensive sexual health education
Teaching students about sex, relationships, and how to stay healthy.
School-based health centers
Health clinics located in or near schools that provide medical care to students.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when it will take effect.
  • It is unclear how much this bill will cost local agencies and school districts.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-27 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  2. 2026-01-27 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 9. Page 3298.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  3. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  4. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 3269.) (January 22).

  5. 2026-01-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing January 22.

  6. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  7. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  8. 2025-04-28 California Legislative Information

    April 28 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  9. 2025-04-17 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 28.

  10. 2025-04-10 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 737.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  11. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 634.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  12. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 9 in HEALTH pending receipt.

  13. 2025-03-24 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  14. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 2.

  15. 2025-03-05 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on ED. and HEALTH.

  16. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.

  17. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 608, as amended, 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 require 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 public school, as defined,
maintaining any combination of classrooms from
that serves pupils in any of
grades 7 to 12, inclusive,
a school district, the State Department of Education, or a county office of education
from prohibiting certain school-based health centers, as defined, from making internal and external condoms available and easily accessible to pupils at the
school-based health center
site.
site and would require those public schools to allow condoms to be made available 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.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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