Bill Commons

CA AB 1326

vetoed

Health masks: right to wear.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 1326 pass?

No. CA AB 1326 passed the legislature but was vetoed on 2026-01-22. Latest recorded action (2026-01-22): Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

What is CA AB 1326 about?

Existing law sets forth various provisions on the wearing of a mask for health purposes. These circumstances include, among others, a statewide stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of a pandemic, wildfire smoke event, or other health emergency; employer-supplied PPE to employees who provide direct patient care in a general acute care hospital; employees of commercial cannabis businesses wearing a mask for respiration; and providing peace officers with an appropriate portable manual mask and airway assembly for use when applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation to prevent the spread of communicable disease. Under this bill, an individual would have the right to wear a health mask on their face in a public place for the purpose of protecting their individual health or the public health, with regard to communicable disease, air quality, or other health factors. The bill would define a health mask and a public place for purposes of this provision. Under the bill, the above-described right would not be construed as limiting or otherwise modifying the application or implementation of certain requirements for the removal of a health mask relating to, among other contexts, security protocols to identify an individual, essential functions in the workplace, or emergency health care protocols, as specified, without limiting certain nondiscrimination protections on the basis of disability or medical condition.

Who sponsors CA AB 1326?

Ahrens is the primary sponsor of CA AB 1326, joined by 2 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law sets forth various provisions on the wearing of a mask for health purposes. These circumstances include, among others, a statewide stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of a pandemic, wildfire smoke event, or other health emergency; employer-supplied PPE to employees who provide direct patient care in a general acute care hospital; employees of commercial cannabis businesses wearing a mask for respiration; and providing peace officers with an appropriate portable manual mask and airway assembly for use when applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation to prevent the spread of communicable disease. Under this bill, an individual would have the right to wear a health mask on their face in a public place for the purpose of protecting their individual health or the public health, with regard to communicable disease, air quality, or other health factors. The bill would define a health mask and a public place for purposes of this provision. Under the bill, the above-described right would not be construed as limiting or otherwise modifying the application or implementation of certain requirements for the removal of a health mask relating to, among other contexts, security protocols to identify an individual, essential functions in the workplace, or emergency health care protocols, as specified, without limiting certain nondiscrimination protections on the basis of disability or medical condition.

Introduced
2025-02-21
Latest action
2026-01-22 — Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
Bill type
bill
Last updated

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Ahrensauthor
  • Beckercoauthor
  • Rubiocoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-21

    Introduced. To print.

    introduction

  2. 2025-02-22

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.

  3. 2025-02-24

    Read first time.

    reading-1

  4. 2025-03-24

    Referred to Com. on L. & E.

    referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-24

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  6. 2025-03-25

    Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-03

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  8. 2025-04-07

    Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

    referral-committee

  9. 2025-04-10

    Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

    referral-committee

  10. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 2.) (April 29).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  11. 2025-05-01

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  12. 2025-05-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 58. Noes 2. Page 1481.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  13. 2025-05-08

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  14. 2025-05-21

    Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.

    referral-committee

  15. 2025-06-19

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  16. 2025-08-19

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 15).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage

  17. 2025-08-20

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  18. 2025-09-02

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  19. 2025-09-03

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  20. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 28. Noes 1. Page 2590.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  21. 2025-09-08

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  22. 2025-09-09

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 66. Noes 3. Page 3125.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  23. 2025-09-16

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  24. 2025-10-11

    Vetoed by Governor.

    executive-veto

  25. 2025-10-11

    Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

  26. 2026-01-22

    Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

    veto-override-failure

Versions

  • 02/21/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-21Compare
  • 03/24/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-24Compare
  • 04/03/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-03Compare
  • 08/20/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-08-20Compare
  • 09/02/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-02Compare
  • 09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
  • AB1326Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass.

    2025-04-29 · pass · 14-2

    Member-level votes (16)
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Sanchez: no
    • Patterson: no
  • AB 1326 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading

    2025-05-08 · pass · 58-2

    Member-level votes (79)
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Hoover: no
    • DeMaio: no
    • Gabriel: other
    • Irwin: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Wallis: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Macedo: other
    • Patterson: other
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Carrillo: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Ellis: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Flora: other
    • Boerner: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Arambula: other
    • Ta: other
    • Tangipa: other
  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]

    2025-06-18 · pass · 8-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Gonzalez: other
    • Grove: other
    • Valladares: other
  • Do pass as amended

    2025-07-15 · pass · 11-0

    Member-level votes (13)
    • Caballero: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Valladares: other
    • Niello: other
  • 3rd Reading AB1326 Ahrens By Becker

    2025-09-08 · pass · 28-1

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: no
    • Niello: other
    • Jones: other
    • Choi: other
    • Stern: other
    • Seyarto: other
    • Strickland: other
    • Ochoa Bogh: other
    • Cabaldon: other
    • Grove: other
    • Dahle: other
    • Valladares: other
  • AB 1326 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-10 · pass · 66-3

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Ellis: no
    • Macedo: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Johnson: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Ta: other
    • Chen: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Gabriel: other
    • Patterson: other
    • DeMaio: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Use this data

Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=CA&identifier=AB 1326. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.

Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.
  • Some documents have no extracted text yet, so version comparison may be limited.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.