AB 2082
Rural Farmworker Women’s Health Act of 2026.
Vote required
Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Appropriations
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill, the Rural Farmworker Women’s Health Act of 2026, aims to improve access to menstrual products for women in rural and agricultural communities throughout California. It directs the State Department of Public Health to partner with local nonprofit organizations to distribute free menstrual products, prioritizing areas with high poverty rates. The program will begin on July 1, 2027, and will require legislative appropriation to operate. This legislation focuses on addressing a specific health need within a vulnerable population.
Key provisions
- Requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a program.
- Partners with local nonprofit organizations serving farmworker communities.
- Provides free menstrual products in rural and agricultural communities.
- Prioritizes communities with the highest rates of poverty.
- The program begins July 1, 2027, and January 1, 2028.
- Requires legislative appropriation for the program's operation.
Who is affected
- Farmworker women
- Rural communities
- Agricultural communities
- Low-income women
Notable changes
- Establishes a dedicated program to address menstrual product access.
- Focuses on underserved rural and agricultural areas.
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AB2082:v98#DOCUMENT
Bill Start
| Revised April 15, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 06, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2082
| Introduced by Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alanis, Soria, and Tangipa) |
| February 18, 2026 |
An act to add Section 139 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2082, as amended, Jeff Gonzalez. Rural Farmworker Women’s Health Act of 2026.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop a coordinated state strategy for addressing the health-related needs of women, as specified.
This bill, the Rural Farmworker Women’s Health Act of 2026, would require the department to, beginning July 1, 2027, January 1, 2028, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, establish a program to work with local nonprofit organizations who have a history of serving farmworker communities to provide free menstrual products in rural or agricultural communities. The bill would require the department to prioritize those communities with the highest rates of poverty.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Rural Farmworker Women’s Health Act of 2026.
SEC. 2.
Section 139 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
139.
(a) For purposes of this section, “menstrual products” includes tampons, sanitary napkins, panty liners, and menstrual cups.
(b) Beginning July 1, 2027, January 1, 2028, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, the State Department of Public Health shall establish a program to work with local nonprofit organizations who have a history of serving farmworker communities to provide free menstrual products in rural or agricultural communities. The department shall prioritize the rural or agricultural communities with the highest rates of poverty.
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REVISIONS: Heading–Line 2
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