Governor Gavin Newsom signed three bills into law this weekend that strengthen legal protections for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare in California. Assembly Bills 1854, 1930, and 2448 will take effect on January 1, 2027, according to the Attorney General's office.
AB 1854, authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, expands California's reproductive shield laws and prohibits California businesses and financial service providers from complying with out-of-state legal demands for protected health information. The law also clarifies that law enforcement cannot arrest someone if the Governor denies an extradition request. The provision responds to Louisiana's earlier attempt to extradite a California abortion provider, which Governor Newsom rejected.
AB 1930, authored by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, requires business entities in California to notify the Attorney General if they intend to respond to a subpoena or inquiry regarding abortion or gender-affirming care. The law authorizes the Attorney General to intervene to prevent disclosure of protected abortion or gender-affirming care information.
AB 2448, authored by Assemblymembers Marc Berman and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, requires healthcare providers to enable technological safeguards to segregate sensitive health data in electronic medical records. The law requires entities maintaining electronic health records for sensitive services to implement meaningful protections to secure that data.