Session:   
Updated:   2026-02-04

Home - Bills - Bill - Authors - Dates - Locations - Analyses - Organizations

Measure
Authors Wahab  
Coauthors: Archuleta   Ashby   Blakespear   Cervantes   Choi   Cortese   McGuire   McNerney   Ochoa Bogh   Pérez   Richardson   Smallwood-Cuevas   Valladares   Wiener   Haney   Ortega  
Subject Vital records: adoptees’ birth certificates.
Relating To relating to vital records.
Title An act to amend Section 1798.24 of the Civil Code, and to amend Sections 102645 and 102685 of, to amend, repeal, and add Section 102705 of, to add Sections 102620 and 102706 to, and to repeal Section 102675 of, the Health and Safety Code, relating to vital records.
Last Action Dt 2026-01-22
State Amended Senate
Status Pending Referral
Flags
Vote Req Approp Fiscal Cmte Local Prog Subs Chgs Urgency Tax Levy Active?
Majority No Yes No None No No Y
i
Leginfo Link  
Bill Actions
2026-01-27     In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2026-01-27     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 35. Noes 0.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2026-01-26     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2026-01-22     Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2026-01-22     From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (January 22).
2026-01-21     Set for hearing January 22.
2026-01-20     January 20 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2026-01-16     Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2026-01-15     From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (January 14).
2026-01-14     From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (January 13). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2026-01-07     Set for hearing January 14 in HEALTH pending receipt.
2026-01-06     Set for hearing January 13.
2026-01-05     Re-referred to Coms. on JUD. and HEALTH.
2026-01-05     Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
2026-01-05     Withdrawn from committee.
2026-01-05     From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-02-26     Referred to Coms. on JUD. and APPR.
2025-02-18     From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 17.
2025-02-14     Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Versions
Amended Senate     2026-01-22
Amended Senate     2026-01-16
Amended Senate     2026-01-05
Introduced     2025-02-14
Analyses TBD
Latest Text Bill Full Text
Latest Text Digest

Existing law prohibits an agency from disclosing personal information that would link the information to the individual unless, among other things, the information is provided to a governmental entity by law, or the disclosure is to the individual to whom the information pertains. Existing law makes vital records related to adoptions, other than a newly issued birth certificate, available only upon the order of the superior court of the county of residence of the adopted child or of the county granting the order of adoption.

This bill would authorize, beginning on July 1, 2028, the disclosure of an original birth certificate, as defined, to an adopted person, or descendant, as defined, of a deceased adopted person, would require the State Registrar to provide a copy of the original birth certificate to those persons, and would establish a process to request an original birth certificate, as specified. The bill would also require the State Registrar to create and make available to a birth parent a contact preference form on or before July 1, 2028, containing certain elections that would be available for release when a request for an original birth certificate is made.

Existing law requires the clerk of the court to report the decree to the State Registrar within 5 days after a decree of adoption. Existing law requires the State Registrar to generate a new birth certificate when the State Registrar receives a report of adoption from a specified court or when the State Registrar receives a specified court order.

Existing law requires the new birth certificate to bear certain information and be identical to the certificate issued to the natural parents, except, when requested by the adopting parents, the certificate is required to omit the facility of birth and the race and color of the parents.

This bill would remove the adopted parents exception described above that required the certificate to omit the facility of birth and the race and color of the parents.

Existing law authorizes the adopting parents to request an amended certificate that omits, among other things, the city and county of birth, or the color and race of the parents.

This bill would repeal that authorization.