MEMO: Nine LGBTQ+ Priority Bills Await Governor Newsom’s Signature

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2026

CONTACT: Jorge Reyes Salinas, Equality California
PHONE: (213) 355-3057/MOBILE: (213) 355-3057/EMAIL: [email protected]

Nine Equality California priority bills have passed both houses of the California Legislature and have been transmitted to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration. The Governor may sign or veto the measures by September 30, 2026.

The measures address access to health care, data privacy, community safety, recognition of chosen family, HIV prevention, support for transgender veterans, conversion practices, and resources for LGBTQ+ people at public colleges and universities.

Below is a summary of each measure and why it matters for LGBTQ+ people and Californians.

TRANSGENDER HEALTH CARE

$9 Million Budget Allocation - Protect Access to Transgender Health Care

Legislative leaders allocated $9 million to preserve access to health care services affected by the recently finalized federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule restricting Medicaid and CHIP reimbursement for transition-related care for young people. Equality California is grateful to Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senator John Laird, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Senator Caroline Menjivar, and Assemblymember Dawn Addis for their work on the allocation.

Why it matters: The funding is intended to help California providers maintain continuity of care as federal reimbursement restrictions take effect. It may also reduce the risk that patients lose access because clinics and other providers cannot absorb the resulting funding gap. The allocation follows California's earlier investment in the state's transition-related-care funding. (CMS rule background)

AB 1930 (Zbur) - Safeguard Patient Privacy from Out-of-State Investigations

AB 1930 strengthens California's health care shield laws by establishing procedures for California-based people and entities that receive investigations, subpoenas, summonses, discovery requests, or other requests for information concerning abortion or transgender healthcare. The measure also authorizes the California Attorney General to intervene in specified legal actions involving those requests.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has subpoenaed hospitals seeking sensitive information about transgender young people, their families, and health care providers. AB 1930 adds safeguards for reviewing these and other politically motivated legal demands before sensitive information is disclosed, helping protect people who seek or provide transgender and reproductive health care that is lawful in California. (Bill information)

AB 1876 (Addis) - Fair Care for All Act

AB 1876 places health care nondiscrimination protections modeled on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act into California law. It prohibits state-regulated health plans and insurers from excluding people, denying benefits, or otherwise discriminating on protected grounds in health coverage and related services.

Why it matters: Federal interpretations and enforcement of Section 1557 can change. Establishing state-level protections gives LGBTQ+ people and other Californians, including people with disabilities, people of color, women, and people with limited English proficiency, a California-law basis for challenging discrimination in health coverage.

PRIVACY & SECURITY

SB 1114 (Cabaldon) - Protect LGBTQ+ Data Privacy

SB 1114 limits when state entities may disclose personally identifiable information concerning sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, intersex status, and variations in sex characteristics. It generally restricts disclosure outside of the California state government while providing appropriate flexibility in circumstances where it is necessary.

Why it matters: California collects sexual-orientation, gender-identity, and intersex-status data to identify disparities and improve public services. The bill seeks to preserve those uses while reducing the risk that identifiable information is used to target LGBTQ+ or intersex Californians.

AB 1836 (Gabriel) - Enhance Safety for LGBTQ+ Community Events

AB 1836 expands the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program so eligible nonprofit organizations may use grants for security at onsite or offsite events, in addition to security improvements at nonprofit facilities.

Why it matters: Pride celebrations and other LGBTQ+ community events can face threats of violence or hate crimes even when they do not take place at a nonprofit's permanent location. The bill makes event security, including security personnel and other eligible measures, an allowable use of the state grant program. The same protection is also expanded to other eligible nonprofit-hosted community, cultural, and religious events.

LGBTQ+ FAMILIES

SB 1149 (Durazo) - Expand Bereavement Leave for Chosen Family

SB 1149 expands California's job-protected bereavement-leave law to cover the death of a designated person, allowing workers to use leave following the death of a chosen or extended family member who is not included in the law's existing definition of immediate family.

Why it matters: Chosen family can be a primary source of care and support for LGBTQ+ people, particularly for those who have experienced rejection or estrangement from relatives. The bill recognizes those relationships for bereavement leave and also benefits Californians whose closest family relationships fall outside traditional legal definitions.

HIV PREVENTION

SB 1023 (Laird) - Strengthen Access to Injectable PrEP

SB 1023 requires health plans that already cover long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, under the medical benefit to also make the medication reimbursable through the outpatient prescription-drug benefit. The clinical administration of the medication may be billed separately.

Why it matters: Requiring providers to purchase and maintain an inventory of expensive injectable medication before seeking reimbursement can create financial and administrative barriers, particularly for community clinics and smaller providers. The bill offers an alternative reimbursement pathway that may make injectable PrEP available through more providers. This expands HIV-prevention options for LGBTQ+ people and other Californians who may prefer or benefit from a long-acting medication.

MILITARY & VETERANS

AB 1775 (Ward) - Support Transgender Veterans

AB 1775 expands state veterans' services available to transgender veterans discharged under discriminatory federal policies. Those services include housing assistance, support with professional licensure and employment, and help using California's discharge-upgrade assistance programs to seek corrections to military records.

Why it matters: A discharge characterization can affect a veteran's eligibility for benefits, employment, housing, and professional opportunities. The bill connects affected transgender veterans with existing California programs intended to address those barriers, while strengthening the state's support for veterans navigating the consequences of a discriminatory discharge.

MENTAL HEALTH

SB 934 (Wiener) - Update California's Conversion-Practices Protections

SB 934 updates California law following the U.S. Supreme Court's March 31, 2026, decision in Chiles v. Salazar. The enrolled bill defines prohibited "sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts" as practices by a licensed mental health provider that, during mental health services, seek to direct a patient toward a predetermined sexual orientation or gender identity. It retains protections for patients under 18 and excludes nondirective therapy that supports coping, identity exploration, and self-understanding without seeking a predetermined outcome.

Why it matters: The measure clarifies the scope of California's protections after the Supreme Court held that Colorado's law regulated speech and was subject to strict scrutiny. It distinguishes prohibited efforts to direct a minor toward a predetermined identity from nondirective counseling and other specified practices.

EDUCATION

SB 1328 (Cervantes) - Expand LGBTQ+ Higher Education Support

SB 1328 extends existing campus-contact requirements to branch campuses, satellite locations, and other sites operated away from the main campuses of California's public higher education systems. The designated employee serves as a confidential point of contact for the needs of LGBTQ+, intersex, and two-spirit students, faculty, and staff, subject to the bill's requirements.

Why it matters: Students and employees at non-main-campus locations may not have practical access to the LGBTQ+ support contact based at a central campus. The bill is intended to make confidential support and referrals available across a public institution's locations, including sites that may serve rural, commuter, or otherwise geographically dispersed communities.

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