2026 Legislative Priorities

AB 1973 (Aguilar-Curry) Reproductive Health Access and Workforce Modernization Act

Co-sponsors: Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP); California Nurse-Midwifery Association; Essential Access Health; Training for Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare (TEACH)
Seeks to permit Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM), Nurse Practitioners (NP), and Physician Assistants (PA) to perform abortion and miscarriage care to the full extent of their training and competency, removing restrictive language that curtails the range of services they currently can offer to patients; improving access to reproductive healthcare and modernizing California law to align with 17 states.

AB 1661 (Bryan) Baldwin Hills Conservancy: Equitable Community Repair and Reinvestment Account

Co-Sponsors: Black Women for Wellness, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), 
Seeks to provide direct cash assistance to residents within 2.5 miles of the Inglewood Oil Field suffering from respiratory health harm due to oil field exposure. Builds on AB 2716 (Bryan) by ensuring that the first $5 million collected from penalties for noncompliant oil wells are reinvested locally within communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental hazards, supporting those affected by reduced lung function, respiratory illness, and other chronic health conditions while strengthening accountability for polluters.

AB 2540 (Stefani) College Student Right to Access Act

Co-sponsors: Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP); Student Senate for California Community Colleges; Access RJ; Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE) California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ)
Seeks to close a gap in reproductive access for college students by requiring California Community Colleges (CCC) that have student health centers (SHC) to provide medication abortion services. This bill would also require public university and community college health centers to promote awareness of and publish information about available services on their website. [FACT SHEET]

SB 608 (Menjivar) – Youth Sexual Health: Equitable Condom Access & STI Prevention (Two-Year Bill)

Co-Sponsors: Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP); Essential Access Health; Voters for Tomorrow
Seeks to address STI epidemic among youth and advance equity in sexual health outcomes by expanding teen access to condoms in schools, prohibiting discrimination based on age at retailers when youth purchase contraception, and work to ensure compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA).

SB 626 (Smallwood-Cuevas) – Perinatal Mental Health (Two-Year Bill)

Co-sponsors: Maternal Mental Health Now; Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP) CA Coalition for Perinatal Mental Health & Justice; Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health; Postpartum Support International California Chapter; Sage Pharmaceuticals
Seeks to address critical gaps in perinatal mental health care by ensuring all perinatal patients receive timely mental health screening during and after pregnancy, improving care coordination, mandating perinatal mental health training for health professionals, and holding insurers accountable for the quality of care provided.

Not an active bill. Priority issue that we are working to shape legislation around.

1. Testing, Reporting & Criminalization of Pregnant People
   Co-sponsors: Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP); All of Us or None; California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ); Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers; Families Inspiring Reentry & Reunification 4 Everyone
   Works to address our state’s maternal mortality and morbidity crisis and prevent traumatic family separation practices due to nonconsensual drug screening and testing. This proposal would address the inequities in perinatal care, encourage prenatal access, and affirm the dignity and bodily autonomy of pregnant people in California.