Five Planned Parenthood California Sponsored Bills Head to Governor Newsom’s Desk for Signature

August 30, 2024
Shelby McMichael, Communications Manager

SACRAMENTO, CA – Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC) is thrilled to announce five PPAC sponsored bills have passed both legislative houses and are headed to Governor Newsom’s desk for signature. These bills build on Planned Parenthood’s work to protect and expand abortion access in California, support the Future of Abortion Council’s ongoing priorities, and expand gender affirming resources for the Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex (TGI) community.

“While what we have accomplished in California since the overturning of Roe v Wade is extraordinary, we still have work to do to create a more just and equitable reproductive health care landscape in California. Three of the five PPAC sponsored bills on the Governor’s desk help to address the continued need to bolster California’s reproductive health care provider network and improve access for our state’s most vulnerable populations, especially amid ongoing attacks on every facet of reproductive health care– from abortion to contraception,” said Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California President and CEO Jodi Hicks. “We also know the same extremists who attack abortion are also attacking gender affirming care as part of their coordinated effort to undermine people’s bodily autonomy, which is why we also helped to introduce legislation to address barriers that too often inhibit TGI individuals from accessing quality, inclusive, and affordable health care.”

The bills on the Governor’s desk are:

1. AB 2339 (Aguiar-Curry) Improve Access to Telehealth – Expands Medi-Cal coverage of asynchronous telehealth services for sensitive services and addresses barriers to accessing care via health care mobile apps and other asynchronous modalities. 
2. AB 2442 (Zbur) Expedited Licensure for Providers committed to Gender-Affirming Care – Ensures that licensure applications for providers of gender-affirming care are prioritized to ensure a robust network of health care providers in the state. 
3. AB 2085 (Bauer-Kahan) Streamlined Health Center Permitting – Prohibits municipal interference with the delivery of constitutionally protected health care services by establishing a streamlined ministerial approval process for development of new health centers. 
4. AB 2099 (Bauer-Kahan) Protecting Reproductive Health Clinics and Patients – Strengthens enforcement of the FACE Act when use of force, threat of force, or bodily injury takes place. 
5. SB 1131 (Gonzalez) Streamline Family Planning Program Certification – Addresses barriers to the Family PACT program’s clinic certification process to improve and streamline the ability for health care providers to serve California’s Family PACT patients. 

Additionally, Senator Menjivar has moved SB 959– co-sponsored by PPAC, Equality California and Trans Family Support Services– to the inactive file as a result of the state’s proactive implementation. The new Department of Managed Health Care website page on Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex (TGI) care will enable TGI individuals to learn about their health care rights, address insurance coverage, and access other resources to improve their patient experience. 

“We are deeply grateful for the partnership of the authors of these bills, as well as the support they received throughout the legislative process. The legislation passed this year is a testament to the Legislature’s ongoing commitment to true reproductive freedom in California. We look forward to continuing this work alongside our allies in the Legislature next year,” concluded Hicks.