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2025 Legislative and Budget Priorities

In 2025, LGBTQ Caucus Members voted to approve priority and endorsed legislative packages. Bills under the priorities fall under the “Protecting Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Attacks” bucket. Bills under the endorsements fall under the “Advancing our Progress and Addressing Everyday Challenges” bucket. 

Bills with * are Formal Caucus Priorities (Sponsored Bills), and bills with ** are Formal Caucus Endorsements (Supported Bills).

Health Equity & Access

  • AB 554 (Mark González) – PrEPARE Act**
    • Strengthens existing protections requiring health plans and insurers to cover all HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications—as long as they are FDA-approved and clinically effective—without patient cost sharing or other restrictions like prior authorization. Also, ensures that local, community-based clinics can receive timely reimbursement for these drugs.
  • AB 1487 (Addis) – 2STGI Wellness & Equity Fund**
    • Renames the Fund to be inclusive of Two-Spirit peoples and includes grants specific to Indigenous and Two-Spirit Community Members. Also, expands the use of the Fund to also go towards critically necessary programs such as mental health services, educational access, and workforce development.
  • SB 278 (Cabaldon) – HIV Test Results**
    • Allow the sharing of data about HIV viral-load suppression with MCOs and DHCS in order to help eliminate legal barriers to fully using Medi-Cal to tackle the HIV epidemic.
  • SB 418 (Menjivar) – Ensure Equal Access to Care for All*
    • Codifies the ACA’s Section 1557 nondiscrimination protections in healthcare programs and activities into California law.
  • SB 504 (Laird) – HIV Data Reporting**
    • Enhances HIV data reporting between local health officers and the state department.

Privacy Rights & Freedom from Retaliation

  • AB 82 (Ward) – Health Data Privacy & Safety Protections*
    • Protects the privacy of health data and enhances the safety and well-being of patients, their families, and health professionals who receive and provide, respectively, legally protected health services, such as a and gender-affirming healthcare services.
  • AB 715 (Zbur) – California Attorney Protection Act*
    • Protects attorneys from disciplinary action for providing legal services to patients, health providers, and others accessing and providing, respectively, essential and legal health care, such as reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare.
  • SB 497 (Wiener) – Shield Law Expansion*
    • Protects sensitive health data by requiring warrants for law enforcement to access the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, establishes that knowingly sharing information from the database to unauthorized parties without a warrant is punishable as a misdemeanor, and also expands the state’s existing shield laws protecting access to healthcare for transgender and gender-expansive Californians.

Vital Records

  • AB 1084 (Zbur) – Transgender Records Act*
    • Expedites the process for Californians to receive a court order recognizing their name and gender change by shortening the court processing time for uncontested petitions from six weeks to a maximum of two weeks, as well as requires amended birth certificates and marriage certificates to be issued within two weeks.
  • SB 59 (Wiener) – Transgender Privacy Act*
    • Expands confidentiality provisions by ensuring all name and gender change orders, regardless of age, and papers and records associated with them are made confidential.

Combatting Hate

  • AB 449 (Jackson) – Combatting Hate in California*
    • Creates and implements statewide and regional radio, social media, and television campaigns to discourage discrimination based upon, but not limited to, disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation – and, ensures the advertisements are proportional to the communities most impacted as reported under the AG’s annual hate crimes report.
  • AB 822 (Elhawary) – Commission on State of Hate*
    • Extends the sunset repeal date of the existing Commission on State of Hate – which has undertaken significant work to analyze and address hate crimes and hate incidents in California.

Enhancing Supports in Education & Housing

  • AB 678 (Lee) – LGBTQ+ Housing Supports**
    • Requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness to provide recommendations to enhance culturally competent services for LGBTQ+ homeless individuals, expand SOGI data collection in homelessness programs, and enhance discrimination prevention in homelessness programs.
  • AB 727 (Mark González) – LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health**
    • Adds the Trevor Project hotline to the list of resources on the back of grades 7-12 student ID cards, as well as updates the Safe Place to Learn Act statute by codifying the inclusion of resources that support students who have been subjected to school-based discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
  • AB 908 (Solache) – LIFT Act**
    • Adds implementation of supportive policies and initiatives to address LGBTQ+ pupil education and well-being to the state priorities that must be addressed by Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).
  • SB 289 (Cervantes) – Title IX Oversight Office*
    • Establishes a statewide Title IX oversight office to serve as a point of contact for students in order to investigate campus policies and procedures regarding harassment, rape, sexual assault, and violence complaints, as well as protections related to LGBTQ+ issues. 

Supporting Families

  • SB 450 (Menjivar) – Confirmatory Adoptions**
    • Clarifies and reaffirms California’s longstanding jurisdiction for adoption proceedings, including confirmatory adoptions, for families who either never lived in California or who no longer live here, so long as the child was born in this state.
  • SB 590 (Durazo) – Paid Family Leave for Chosen Families**
    • Expands paid family leave rights for workers, inclusive of LGBTQ+ workers, who need to take time off to care for their loved ones with a serious illness.

 

Priority Budget Requests (in alphabetical order)

ADAP Rebate Fund Surplus Spend-Down–

In order to ensure ADAP Rebate Funds are appropriately invested into services for those living and at-risk of HIV/AIDS, this spend-down plan provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen California’s leadership in equitably ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

 

Proposed restricted funding surpluses plan:

  • Oral healthcare, specifically the Office of AIDS Oral Health Care services in the HIV Care Program; 

  • To supplement reimbursement rates for specified services under the Medi-Cal Waiver Program, formerly known as the AIDS Waiver; 

  • Support for short-term rental assistance for unhoused people living with HIV; 

  • County Supplement to Part B Cuts, specifically to provide funding for localities to support services for people living with HIV; and, 

  • Harm Reduction Linkage to Care, specifically investment into Office of AIDS for HIV linkage to care for people living with HIV who are experiencing homelessness, have substance use disorder, or have mental health challenges. 

 

Proposed unrestricted funding surpluses plan: 

  • TGI Wellness & Equity Fund to provide grants for programs focused on coordinating trans-inclusive healthcare for TGI people – transgender women of color face a disproportionate impact of HIV; 

  • Funding to the Office of AIDS for establishing routine, opt-out testing (ROOT) for HIV, hepatitis C, and syphilis in emergency departments; 

  • Support for long-term rental assistance for people living with HIV who are experiencing homelessness; 

  • Support the purchase of rapid HCV testing equipment by facilities serving highly HCV-affected populations; 

  • Harm Reduction Overdose Prevention, specifically investment into Office of AIDS to support overdose prevention services, including drug checking services; 

  • Bridge funding health-coverage program for people experiencing a short-term loss of income; 

  • Funding for the DIS workforce supplemental grant funding under CDPH; 

  • Support for innovations in HIV prevention for disproportionately impacted communities, including Black and Latinx same-gender-loving men and transgender women and cisgender women of color; and,

  • Continued funding for The Youth Health Equity + Safety Act, which seeks to address the STI epidemic among California youth and improve equitable public health outcomes statewide by expanding teen access to condoms in schools.     

 

Contingency Plan: Legally Protected Health Services Funding – 

With a little more than one month in office, President Trump has already taken direct action to restrict access to gender affirming care and reproductive and sexual health care, including abortion. California must continue to protect access to gender-affirming care, which is vital for the health and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse individuals, especially amid increasing attacks on transgender youth. As the Trump Administration threatens broad bans on federal funds from being used to support health services that are legal under California law, it is imperative that California ensures there’s no gap in care for people receiving legally protected health activities, such as reproductive health and gender-affirming health care services. In the face of these unprecedented attacks on essential health care, we request to initially set aside flexible, emergency, contingency dollars should the Trump Administration successfully eliminate federal funding for gender-affirming care and sexual and reproductive health care providers in California. This request includes an initial set-aside of funding to ensure the state is prepared to immediately support providers that decide to continue offering sensitive services – allowing Californians that rely on Medi-Cal to continue to access the care they need. Emergency bridge funding is a first step, stop-gap that can allow the state to then evaluate and develop a longer-term response to federal action. By taking this action, Californians will be reassured that in our state their rights to essential health care remain protected in the face of uncertainty while the state continues to explore programmatic and budget changes necessary to address federal actions threatening access to care in California.

 

CRD Combatting Hate Crimes Campaign – 

This request seeks to transfer previously allocated $5.9 million from California Department of Social Services’ “Stop the Hate Program” would fund outreach efforts for AB 449 (Jackson). This would ensure the California Civil Rights Department implements a statewide antidiscrimination regional radio, social media, and television campaigns to combat discrimination based upon, but not limited to, individuals’ disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.

 

Empowering and Advocating for LGBTQ-owned Businesses – 

This budget request seeks $1 million to be distributed through GO-Biz to enable the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce to:

  • Expand Access to Supplier Diversity Programs: Empower LGBTQ businesses to compete for contracts through enhanced workshops, matchmaking events, and certification support under programs like the California Public Utilities Commission’s General Order 156.

  • Provide Capital Readiness Support: Address systemic barriers to financing for LGBTQ entrepreneurs, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups.

  • Enhance Workforce Development: Create mentorship, networking, and job creation programs to strengthen LGBTQ-owned businesses and the communities they serve.

 

LBTQ Health Equity Initiative Fund – 

This budget request seeks $15 million (one-time, over three years) in funding to continue a comprehensive grant program that will address LBTQ people with uteruses’ health disparities across California.

  • $13 million annually over 3 years for local assistance to address the significant gaps in LBTQ women’s health needs.

  • $2 million for state operations and administration of grants through CDPH.

 

LGBTQ+ Safe Schools, Education, & Safety Funding – 

This budget request seeks $2 million (one-time) and $500,000 (ongoing) to support: 

  • $1 million One-Time (CDE): Conduct outreach and education to advance safe and supportive school environments for LGBTQ+ youth;

  • $500K One-Time: Develop and conduct community education to ensure Californians “Know Their Rights” under state law;

  • $500K One-Time (Cal-OES): Implement safety and security infrastructure improvements at LGBTQ+ events across the state; and,

  • $500K Ongoing (CDE): Fund two School Health Education Consultants to support local educational agencies in implementing the legal requirements relating to safe and supportive school climates.

 

TGI Wellness & Equity Fund – 

This budget request seeks $15 million (one-time, over two years) in funding to be directed to the Transgender, Gender-Nonconforming, and Intersex (TGI) Wellness and Equity Fund to issue grants to the broader TGI community focused on: 

  • Cultural Competency Training: Medical Provider Training 

  • Mental Health Services 

  • Workforce Development Training 

  • Resettlement and Social Integration Programs for TGI2 asylees and immigrants 

  • Education Access --Transitional Age Youth Diversion Programs and Transitional Age Youth Outreach Programs

 

Williams Institute LGBTQ+-Focused Research – 

This budget request seeks $250K per year, for two years, to the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute to fund a full-time position focused on California LGBTQ research and policy, who will be responsible for:

  • Conducting rapid, policy-responsive research;

  • Collaboration with other experts;

  • Creating a California State and Local Survey Methodology Guide for Conducting research with LGBTQ communities; 

  • Rapid dissemination of research in policy-relevant formats; and,

  • Creating sustainability for the position beyond two years.