Calif. bill could give teachers 14 weeks taxpayer-funded paid leave for abortions

A California bill that would provide up to 14 weeks of fully paid pregnancy disability leave for public school employees could also require taxpayers to fund paid leave for abortions because of language included in the legislation.

The proposal, Assembly Bill 65, authored by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, is awaiting consideration in the California Senate after passing the Assembly.

The legislation would require public school employers and community college districts to provide up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave to certificated employees and classified staff employed by public schools or the community college district. 

According to a summary of the bill, the leave applies not only to time missed due to the pregnancy, but also to “childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or a related condition.”

The bill also would prohibit school districts from deducting pregnancy disability leave from an employee’s other available leave and would require employers to maintain health insurance coverage during the leave period under the same conditions as if the employee were actively working.

In addition, the proposal states that employers could not impose eligibility requirements, including minimum hours worked or length of service, before an employee becomes eligible for paid leave related to pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy or related medical conditions.

The inclusion of “termination of pregnancy” has drawn scrutiny because the bill doesn’t distinguish between miscarriages and elective abortions.

In an interview last week with CBS California Investigates, Aguiar-Curry acknowledged that the abortion-related language could be amended before the bill reaches the governor’s desk.

“I think it could get amended. I’m hoping it doesn’t, and now that you’ve brought it up and it’s all over television, chances are I’m going to get more pressure to take it out,” Aguiar-Curry said.

While the bill passed the Assembly with 62 bipartisan votes, 17 lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle did not vote.

Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Clovis, said he withheld his vote because the bill appears to contain no annual limit on the number of pregnancy-related leave claims an employee could receive, according to CBS California Investigates.

Tangipa also questioned whether the proposal could require teachers to disclose sensitive medical information to school administrators, including whether they had undergone an abortion.

“I think it’s overly intrusive,” Tangipa said. 

It remains unclear whether lawmakers will revise the bill before it reaches Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The proposal comes months after Newsom approved Senate Bill 106, which provides an additional $500 million for reproductive healthcare providers, including Planned Parenthood, following efforts by the Trump administration to cut federal funding to the organization.

Newsom signed SB 106 after the nation’s largest abortion provider claimed it would have no choice but to close as many as a third of its 600 facilities across the U.S. following the passage of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” 

The funding marks a sharp increase from the $60 million initially proposed by Newsom in January and will supplement another $140 million passed by California lawmakers in October.

“California is taking steps to ensure people don’t lose access to the range of services provided by Planned Parenthood,” Newsom said in a statement. “As the Trump administration’s Big Ugly Bill punishes women and community health providers, California continues to stand in support of women’s access [to abortion].”