California legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
California AB1940: Unlawful practices: discrimination: menopause.
Status: Vetoed, September 30, 2026
What the bill says
An act to amend Section 51 of the Civil Code, and to amend Sections 12926 and 12950 of the Government Code, relating to civil rights. civil rights Unlawful practices: discrimination: menopause. (1) Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), establishes the Civil Rights Department to enforce civil rights laws with respect to housing and employment, as prescribed. The FEHA recognizes and declares to be a civil right the opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment and housing without discrimination because of a specified characteristic…
From the enrolled text, September 2, 2026:
An act to amend Section 51 of the Civil Code, and to amend Sections 12926 and 12950 of the Government Code, relating to civil rights. civil rights Unlawful practices: discrimination: menopause. (1) Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), establishes the Civil Rights Department to enforce civil rights laws with respect to housing and employment, as prescribed. The FEHA recognizes and declares to be a civil right the opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment and housing without discrimination because of a specified characteristic. The FEHA makes certain discriminatory practices based on those characteristics unlawful. The FEHA also declares that its purpose is to provide effective remedies that will eliminate these discriminatory practices. The FEHA defines terms used in connection with unlawful practices. These include “sex,” which includes pregnancy or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or medical conditions related to childbirth, and breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding. This bill would include perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause or other related medical conditions within the above definition of sex. The FEHA separately defines the term “medical condition” to mean either a health impairment related to or associated with a diagnosis of cancer or a record or history of cancer or specified genetic characteristics. The Unruh Civil Rights Act (Unruh Act) establishes that all persons within the jurisdiction …