CaliforniaHealth masks: right to wear.
What it does
Existing law sets forth various provisions on the wearing of a mask for health purposes. These circumstances include, among others, a statewide stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of a pandemic, wildfire smoke event, or other health emergency; employer-supplied PPE to employees who provide direct patient care in a general acute care hospital; employees of commercial cannabis businesses wearing a mask for respiration; and providing peace officers with an appropriate portable manual mask and airway assembly for use when applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation to prevent the spread of communicable disease.
More detail
Under this bill, an individual would have the right to wear a health mask on their face in a public place for the purpose of protecting their individual health or the public health, with regard to communicable disease, air quality, or other health factors. The bill would define a health mask and a public place for purposes of this provision.
Under the bill, the above-described right would not be construed as limiting or otherwise modifying the application or implementation of certain requirements for the removal of a health mask relating to, among other contexts, security protocols to identify an individual, essential functions in the workplace, or emergency health care protocols, as specified, without limiting certain nondiscrimination protections on the basis of disability or medical condition.
Where do you stand?
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jan 22Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.Latest
- 2025
- Oct 11Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
- Oct 11Vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.Major
- Sep 16Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.To Governor
- Sep 10
- Vote recorded AB 1326 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Sep 9Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 66. Noes 3. Page 3125.).Major
- Sep 8In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB1326 Ahrens By Becker. Result: pass.Upper
- Sep 8Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 28. Noes 1. Page 2590.).Passed Senate
- Sep 3Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Sep 2Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 20Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.Major
- Aug 19From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 15).Major
- Jul 15
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 19From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Jun 18
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]. Result: pass.Upper
- May 21Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.Minor
- May 8In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Vote recorded AB 1326 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 8Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 58. Noes 2. Page 1481.)Passed Assembly
- May 1Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Apr 30From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 2.) (April 29).Minor
- Apr 29
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 10Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.Minor
- Apr 7Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.Minor
- Apr 3From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 25Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.Minor
- Mar 24From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 24Referred to Com. on L. & E.Minor
- Feb 24Read first time.Minor
- Feb 22From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.
- Feb 21Introduced. To print.Introduced