Sexual health.

Senator Menjivar's sexual health legislation aims to expand youth access to contraception through new requirements for school-based health centers and retail establishments across California. The bill mandates that school-based health centers serving grades 7-12 must make both internal and external condoms available and easily accessible to students, while prohibiting schools, districts, and education offices from restricting this access.

The legislation establishes new oversight mechanisms, requiring the State Department of Education to monitor compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act during its annual review of state and federal programs. It also addresses retail access by prohibiting stores from refusing to sell nonprescription contraception based solely on a customer's age or requiring age verification, though exceptions exist where federal or state laws impose specific age restrictions.

These provisions emerge from legislative findings documenting significant sexual health challenges among California youth. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data cited in the bill, 21 percent of California high school students report being sexually active, with 52 percent not using condoms during their most recent sexual intercourse. The findings note that over half of all sexually transmitted infections in California occur among those aged 15-24, with youth of color experiencing disproportionate impacts.