Keenan Briefings

Briefing

California P&C Legislative Summary: 2026 Mid-Session

California public entities, particularly school districts, community college districts, and other educational institutions, continue to face an evolving legislative landscape that may significantly impact employment practices, liability exposure, risk management, student safety, privacy, and workplace compliance. The bills tracked in this summary reflect growing legislative attention to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, expanded discrimination and accommodation protections, public employee labor rights, school safety initiatives, youth athletics, and workers’ compensation reforms. Collectively, these measures may increase operational, employment practices, civil rights, and bodily injury exposures while creating new compliance and training requirements for public entities.

As the California Legislature has now passed the key house-of-origin deadline and moved beyond the midpoint of the 2026 legislative session, attention shifts to remaining policy and fiscal committee hearings, floor votes in the second house, and the August 31, 2026, adjournment deadline, after which enrolled bills will be presented to the Governor for consideration.

This summary highlights key legislation of interest to the property and casualty sector and identifies developments that may affect claims trends, insurance coverage considerations, and risk management practices across California’s public sector.

Artificial intelligence

SB 947 – Employment: Automated Decision Systems

This bill prohibits an employer from using automated decision systems (ADS) for certain employment decisions and requires a written notice when an ADS is used.

AB 1883 – Workplace Surveillance Tools

This bill prohibits employers from using AI-powered workplace surveillance tools to collect neural data, recognize an individual's emotional state, or perform certain other functions, unless an exception applies.

AB 2656 – Public Employees: Notice: Artificial Intelligence Performing Service Within Scope of Work

AB 2656 requires a public employer to provide a recognized employee organization with at least 45 days’ written notice before taking action to develop, purchase, or require the use of any generative artificial intelligence to perform a service that is within the scope of work of the job classification represented by the recognized employee organization.

Disability accommodations

AB 1713 – Public Postsecondary Education: Students With Disabilities: Verification: Academic Accommodations

Commencing on September 1, 2027, AB 1713 authorizes a public higher education institution that requires verification of a student’s disability before providing academic accommodations to accept an IEP, IPP, 504 plan or both used by a local educational agency (LEA) or a regional center as verification of the existence of the student’s disability or may require supplemental information that is reasonably necessary to evaluate the student’s request.

SB 1381 – State Special Schools: Information

Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, this bill requires LEAs to provide information to parents of students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind, regarding options for attending the California School for the Deaf or the California School for the Blind.

Discrimination

AB 1784 – Postsecondary Education: Nondiscrimination: Pregnancy or Pregnancy-Related Issues

AB 1784 establishes reasonable accommodation standards and prohibits discrimination against students who are pregnant or experiencing pregnancy related conditions, permitting all students, or their partner, who have given birth, to receive a leave of absence from coursework without impacting their academic program.

AB 1940 – Unlawful Practices: Discrimination: Menopause

This bill amends the definition of “sex” under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to include perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, or related medical conditions, among other notice and awareness requirements.

AB 2563 – Sex Discrimination: Scope

The bill would require any provision prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex to include actual or perceived characteristics, including conformity to sex or gender stereotypes.

AB 2615 – Educational Equity: Discrimination

AB 2615 revises educational equity and discrimination laws by establishing requirements for classroom instruction, instructional materials, and textbooks to ensure instruction is balanced, fair, and promotes critical thinking. The bill also authorizes the removal or modification of materials found to violate discrimination standards, requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to notify LEAs and initiate investigations upon receipt of a complaint, and requires LEAs to inform complainants that civil law remedies may be available in addition to the complaint process.

SB 747 – Civil Rights: Deprivation of Federal Constitutional Rights, Privileges, and Immunities

This bill creates the No Kings Act, allowing individuals to bring civil actions in state court against natural persons who violate their constitutional rights under color of law, with defenses and immunities aligned to federal Section 1983 standards. It establishes venue options, limits on judicial officer liability, available attorney fees, a two-year statute of limitations, and retroactive application with restricted damages.

Human resources

AB 65 – School and Community College Employees: Paid Disability and Parental Leave

AB 65 requires public school employers to provide certificated and classified employees, and community college districts to provide academic and classified employees, with up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave when an employee is unable to work due to pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from those conditions.

AB 1381 – Education-Related Positions: Previous Employment Disclosures: Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Adverse Actions

Existing law requires prospective certificated staff to provide a complete list of prior employment with school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and private schools to the hiring school district. This bill establishes that failure to provide the required information is unprofessional conduct and may subject the applicant to an adverse action by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

AB 2142 – School Districts: Community College Districts: Short-Term Employees: Classified Service

AB 2142 creates a rebuttable presumption that a “short-term employee” is a classified employee when the short-term employee is being replaced with a position in the classified service if any of the following occur: (1) the short-term employee performs the required service for more than 75 percent of a school year; (2) the short-term employee voluntarily separates, is laid off, or is terminated after working at least 50 percent but less than 75 percent of a school year, and is then rehired in the following school year to perform substantially the same services for at least 50 percent of that school year; or (3) the services of the short-term employee position are utilized for at least 50 percent of a school year in three of five consecutive school years.

AB 2148 – Elementary and Secondary Education: Public School Employees: Contractors: Natural Persons

AB 2148 defines a public-school employee and contractor providing services in a public school to mean a natural person.

AB 1896 – Public Employment: Disqualifications

This bill disqualifies a person from being a peace officer if they were previously employed by an entity that engages in immigration enforcement during the period between January 20, 2025 to January 20, 2029.

SB 1083 – Noncertificated Public School Employees: Private School Employees: Egregious Misconduct: Statewide Data System: Commission On Teacher Credentialing: Adverse Actions: Contracts And Background Checks For Educational Services

This bill updates statutes on how schools investigate, report, and disclose egregious misconduct by noncertificated and private school employees, and revises the requirements for responding to hiring inquiries. It also establishes a due process mechanism allowing noncertificated employees to request a hearing before an administrative law judge when a substantiated finding of egregious misconduct is made. This includes authorizing a dismissal of an employee if the current employer receives notice that the employee, while employed in a previous position in an LEA or private school, was the subject of any credible complaints of, investigations into, or discipline for, egregious misconduct or the employee failed to list all previous LEAs and/or private schools they were previously employed at, among other provisions.

Mandated reporters

AB 1566 – Crimes: Mandated Reporters: Severe Neglect

AB 1566 redefines the definition of “severe neglect” under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) to include “any person who, having the care or custody of a child, willfully fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care to the child that causes or permits serious illness or serious injury to, or the death of, the child or causes or permits the child to be placed at imminent risk of serious illness, serious injury, or death.”

Schools

AB 302 – Pupil and Parental Communication: Extracurricular Activities: Addictive Feeds

Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, AB 302 prohibits a school district, county office of education, or charter school from excluding a student from participating in extracurricular activities because the student does not have or use an addictive feed. The bill defines addictive feed as an internet website, online service, online application, or mobile application in which multiple pieces of media generated or shared by users are, either concurrently or sequentially recommended, selected, or prioritized for display to a user. LEAs are encouraged to inform students and parents in the student handbook or a similar document generally available to students and parents.

AB 1159 – Student Personal Information

This bill enacts the Higher Education Student Information Protection Act (HESIPA) starting on July 1, 2027, which regulates the collection, use, disclosure, retention, and protection of postsecondary student data by educational technology operators. The bill also modifies the K-12 Pupil Online Personal Information Protection Act (KOPIPIA) and the Early Learning Personal Information Protection Act (ELPIPA) to regulate use of student data in AI systems and creates a private right of action for specified violations of student privacy protection.

AB 1644 – Pupils: Use of Smartphones: Prohibition: Report

AB 1644 requires the governing board of a school district, county board of education, or governing body of a charter school serving students in transitional kindergarten through grade 8 to adopt, by July 1, 2027, a policy prohibiting student use of smartphones while at a schoolsite or under the supervision and control of an LEA employee. The policy must be updated at least every five years.

AB 2460 – Pupil Health: Mental Health: Model Referral Protocols

AB 2460 requires the CDE, by July 1, 2027, to update its model behavioral health referral protocols to include guidance on providing equity-centered mental health supports in response to local emergencies related to immigration enforcement activities or the deportation of students or their family members. The bill also requires the governing board or body of an LEA serving students in grades 7–12 to adopt an updated referral protocol policy by July 1, 2028.

SB 1128 – Pupils Technology-Based Materials: School-Issued Electronic Devices

Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, SB 1128 prohibits, unless necessary under specified circumstances, an LEA from requiring a kindergarten or transitional kindergarten student to take home a school issued electronic device. LEAs are encouraged to regularly review and update their policies.

School facilities

AB 387 – Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act

Starting on January 1, 2028, AB 387 requires a public or private local facility with a permanent sports infrastructure to procure and maintain an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) during an official practice or match at the facility and ensure that the youth sports organization has access to it. The AED is to be maintained and tested according to operation and maintenance guidelines established by the manufacturer and any applicant rules and regulations. “Permanent sports infrastructure” is defined as a fixed, non-temporary facility or structure designed and maintained for the purpose of hosting organized sports activities that is regularly permitted, rented, leased, or otherwise granted permission of use for youth sports programs. If an AED is installed at the facility, the public or private facility must work with the youth sports organization to identify a method for sharing the costs associated with maintaining the AED and ensuring it remains accessible at the facility.

AB 1642 – Wildfires: Contamination Standards

AB 1642 establishes a non-rebuttable presumption that a home, school, workplace, or other structure is safe for human occupancy after a wildfire if the level of lead on an indoor surface meets specified conditions. The bill also requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt emergency regulations to guide the removal of lead and asbestos inside and outside of homes, schools, workplaces, and other structures in residential areas after a wildfire, no later than July 1, 2027. In addition, the department must adopt regulations by July 1, 2028, to ensure safe reoccupancy and reduce the cancer and noncancer health risks associated with wildfire contamination.

AB 2007 – Youth Programs: Identifying Information of Youth

This bill requires organizations providing extracurricular activities for school-age children to offer a separate release for the children's image and other personally identifying information that allows the parent to affirmatively consent to waive the child's privacy. This requirement applies only to organizations that are not operated by a public or private school.

Student employment

AB 713 – Public Postsecondary Education: Student Employment

This bill prohibits the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges from disqualifying a student from being hired due to their failure to provide proof of a federal work authorization, unless proof is required as a condition of a grant that funds the employment position.

Student safety

AB 1943 – Pupil Safety: Notifications: Firearms

AB 1943 revises existing annual safe firearm storage notification requirements and requires LEAs to provide parents and guardians with a Secure Firearm Storage Notification each year.

AB 2242 – Pupil Safety: Sextortion Informational Poster

This bill requires each public school maintaining any combination of grades 7 to 12 to display, in at least one men's restroom and one women's restroom used by students, a poster containing specified information relating to sextortion. The poster must be provided in English and in any language spoken by 15% or more of enrolled students.

SB 1140 – Pupil Safety: Limiting School Access to Unauthorized Individuals

SB 1140 requires the governing board or body of an LEA to ensure that contracts for any construction projects taking place during school hours include security provisions that limit access to the construction site and keep unauthorized individuals off school property.

Technology

AB 2726 – School Facilities: Disposal of Surplus Technology Property

This bill permits local educational agencies and community college districts to create policies for disposing of surplus technology through methods such as online auctions, trade-ins, buyback programs, sales, or donations. These policies must address fair competition, data security protections, and environmentally responsible disposal practices.

Status: AB 2726 has been signed into law by the Governor, Chapter 51, Statutes of 2026.

Title IX

AB 1928 – Sex Equity: Sexual Harassment Complaints

This bill requires a postsecondary educational institution's sexual harassment grievance procedure to allow a complainant and respondent to be accompanied by a support person and an advisor during any stage of the resolution process. The support person cannot act as an advisor, and the institution is not required to provide a support person.

Training

AB 1578 – State and Local Officials: Sexual Harassment Training and Education: Anti-Hate Speech

Starting on January 1, 2028, AB 1578 requires anti-hate speech training be included as part of the interactive sexual harassment training and education for an employer that is a state or local governmental agency.

AB 1586 – Opioid Overdose Reversal Medication: School Resource Officers

This bill requires School Resource Officers (SROs), upon assignment and every two years thereafter, to complete an opioid overdose recognition and response training approved by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), the State Department of Health Care Services, or the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). The bill also requires SROs to report to the California Department of Public Health the number of opioid antagonists received and administered and any instance in which an opioid antagonist was needed but unavailable. The required training may be integrated into existing POST and BSCC continuing education requirements.

AB 1626 – Interscholastic Athletics: Youth Sports: Coaches: Behavioral and Mental Health Training

AB 1626 requires the CDE to identify existing training or develop a model for youth athletics behavioral and mental health training for coaches in youth sports. The training must include, among other topics, awareness of behavioral and mental health challenges related to performance anxiety, injuries, competition, and recruitment pressures.

AB 1665 – School Athletics: Coaches: Youth Athletics Behavioral and Mental Health Training

This bill requires coaches at high schools or schools that offer interscholastic athletic programs complete an initial mental health coaching education and training program, and refresher training every two years thereafter, before the start of the season for the sport they coach. The training must align with the topics identified in AB 1626 (2025–26 Session). (See above)

AB 1803 – Employment: Sexual Harassment Training and Education: Anti-Hate Speech Training

AB 1803 adds anti-hate speech components to the sexual harassment and abusive conduct training requirements for all employers of five or more employees.

AB 1845 – Student Safety: Human Trafficking

This bill requires postsecondary educational institutions, on or before July 1, 2027, to provide annual training for employees on human trafficking as part of sexual harassment training or as a separate training. The training must include the definition of human trafficking, common myths and misconceptions, physical and mental indicators, guidance on recognizing potential victims, and reporting protocols.

AB 1985 – Student Health: Athletic Coaches: Mental Health Training

AB 1985 requires higher education institutions, on or before July 1, 2028, and every two years thereafter, to require a person who serves as a coach in an athletic program, as a condition of their employment or volunteer service, to complete a student mental health training identified by the boards of the UCs, CSUs, CCDs and private post-secondary schools. At a minimum, the training is to cover suicide prevention and mental health first aid education.

AB 2003 – Pupil Health: Suicide Prevention

This bill requires the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (BHSOAC) to develop a free online training program to train staff, students, and parents as part of an LEA's or charter school's policy on pupil suicide prevention.

AB 2150 – Employment: Training Requirements: Opioid Overdose Reversals

AB 2150 requires employers that mandate CPR certification training to also require employees to take a separate online training module on the use of naloxone, offered by, but not limited to, the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. The Emergency Medical Services Authority is to review and approve the American Heart Association and American Red Cross trainings.

AB 2212 – Postsecondary Education: Sexual Harassment, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Policies: Student Orientation and Training

This bill amends Education Code definitions to include technology-facilitated sexual harassment, digitized sexually explicit materials, and other definitions related to technological sexual harassment. The bill also requires post-secondary educational schools to update their policies and printed materials to include information on technology-facilitated sexual harassment. In addition, existing annual prevention training on sexual harassment must be updated by September 1, 2027, to include specific information on sexual exploitation and technology-facilitated sexual harassment.

Workers’ compensation

AB 1048 – Workers’ Compensation

AB 1048 requires explanations of review or benefits to include the Medical Provider Network (MPN) identification number and contact information that providers may use to request a copy of the underlying contract between the provider and the network. The payor is to provide a copy of the underlying contract once per year. If a payor fails to provide the contract, the provider may be entitled to payment under the applicable fee schedule or the billed amount.

AB 1683 – Workers’ Compensation: Prepaid Cards

This bill extends indefinitely the authorization to use prepaid cards for the deposit of indemnity payments.

Status: AB 1683 has been signed into law by the Governor, Chapter 59, Statutes of 2026.

SB 555 – Workers’ Compensation: Average Annual Earnings

SB 555 requires an increase of permanent partial disability indemnity for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2027, to be taken at a minimum rate of $363 and a maximum rate of $658.

SB 171 – (Committee on Budget) Labor

This bill reforms the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) by narrowing the definition of a qualifying preexisting disability, establishing stronger evidentiary requirements, creating new filing deadlines, and applying the new rules to pending claims, while grandfathering certain older claims through 2031.

Status: SB 171 has been signed into law by the Governor, Chapter 83, Statutes of 2026.

Youth athletics

AB 2503 – California Interscholastic Federation: Pupil Health: Heat Illness: Guidelines

AB 2503 requires the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to review and update, if necessary, guidelines, procedures, and safety standards for the prevention and management of exertional heat illness.

Failed bills

• AB 1730 – Community Colleges: External Resolution Services for Civil Rights Compliance: Managing Entity and Civil Rights Coordinator
• AB 1861 – Special Education: Public Complaint Database
• AB 1884 – Interscholastic Athletics: Drug Testing: Suspensions: Nicotine Use
• AB 1898 – Workplace Artificial Intelligence Tools
• AB 2019 – Community Colleges: Deported or Detained Faculty
• AB 2098 – Workers’ Compensation Medical Treatment
• AB 2220 – School Districts: Auxiliary Organizations
• AB 2362 – Pupil Transportation
• AB 2365 – Education-Related Positions: Egregious Misconduct: Previous Employment
• SB 1101 – Postsecondary Education: Sharing Personal Information: Notice
• SB 1226 – Pupil Health: Individuals With Exceptional Needs: Respiratory Services
• SB 1290 – Cartwright Act: Public Procurement of Goods and Services: Department of Justice: Examination of Public Entity Records
• SB 1355 – School Safety: School Security Departments: Contracted Private Licensed Security Agencies
• SB 1377 – Immunizations: Medical Exemptions

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