Postsecondary education: undergraduate and graduate students: pregnancy or pregnancy-related issues.

Assembly Member Fong's legislation expands California's postsecondary pregnancy discrimination protections to undergraduate students while establishing new accommodation requirements for all pregnant and parenting students. The measure prohibits institutions from discriminating against students based on current, potential, or past pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions.

The bill requires postsecondary institutions to designate coordinators who oversee reasonable accommodations for pregnant and recently pregnant students. These accommodations may include flexible attendance policies, schedule adjustments, access to online courses when available, and private lactation rooms. Students maintain the right to accept or decline offered accommodations, which institutions must implement promptly once accepted.

Under the legislation, both undergraduate and graduate students may take voluntary leaves of absence for pregnancy or childbirth, with birth parents eligible for up to 12 months and non-birth parents for at least one month. Institutions must inform students how leaves may affect their financial aid and visa status, while ensuring students can return to their prior academic and extracurricular standing. The measure requires institutions to email updated pregnancy discrimination policies annually to their campus communities, post them prominently online, and make them available through campus medical centers. All provisions take effect September 1, 2026.