Unlawful practices: discrimination: menopause.

The bill text was reformatted from a traditional legislative document (with line numbers, page headers, and legislative counsel's digest) into a web-based presentation format with navigation menus, search functionality, version history, and resource links.

Added new subdivision (i)(2) to Government Code Section 12926 stating that the definition of 'medical condition' (cancer-related impairments and genetic characteristics) does not apply to the definition of 'sex' in subdivision (r) of the same section or to the definition of 'sex' in Section 51 of the Civil Code (Unruh Act). This is a legal clarification that protects menopause-related conditions from being limited by the narrow medical condition definition.

Restructured the 'medical condition' definition in Section 12926(i) from a flat two-paragraph structure to a nested format with paragraph (1) containing subparts (A) and (B), making room for the new clarifying paragraph (2).

Added legislative findings paragraphs explaining that FEHA separately defines 'medical condition' as cancer-related or genetic, describing the Unruh Civil Rights Act's protections, and stating that this bill provides the medical condition definition does not apply to the sex definition in either FEHA or the Unruh Act.

Changed the poster update requirement language from 'notify women people of their rights' to 'notify people of their rights,' making the language gender-neutral.

New Section 1 amends Civil Code Section 51 (Unruh Civil Rights Act) to define 'sex' as including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, and provides that 'medical condition' in that context includes but is not limited to FEHA's medical condition definition. This extends menopause-related anti-discrimination protections from employment (FEHA) to all business establishments covered by the Unruh Act.

The bill's stated purpose now includes amending Section 51 of the Civil Code in addition to the Government Code sections, reflecting the expanded reach of the legislation from employment discrimination to general business establishment discrimination.

Government Code Section 12926(r) gains a new paragraph (3) stating that 'medical condition' as used in the definition of 'sex' includes but is not limited to the conditions in subdivision (i) (which covers only cancer and genetic characteristics). This clarifies that menopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause-related medical conditions are protected under 'sex' even though they do not fit FEHA's separate 'medical condition' category.

The entity responsible for raising awareness of menopause-related employment rights changed from the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. This moves the duty from a communications office in the Governor's office to a commission specifically focused on women's status and policy.

The Civil Rights Department poster requirement was changed from notifying 'women' of their rights regarding perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause to notifying 'people,' making the language more inclusive beyond women.

The new Government Code section was renumbered from Section 8423 (placed after Section 8422) to Section 8245.5, reflecting its new placement under the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls rather than the Office of Community Partnerships.

The reference to 'medical leave' as a specific right covered in public education materials was removed from the digest. The Assembly version listed 'rights related to reasonable accommodations, medical leave, and retaliation' while the Senate version lists only 'rights related to reasonable accommodations and retaliation.'

The entity responsible for raising awareness of menopause-related employment rights changed from the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (within the Governors' Office of Service and Community Engagement) to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. The digest now notes the commission studies policy areas including gender in the workplace and the health and safety of women and girls.

The new Government Code section was renumbered from Section 8423 to Section 8245.5, moving it to a different part of the code.

The list of specific rights that public education materials must explain was narrowed. The old version required coverage of 'reasonable accommodations, medical leave, disability discrimination, and retaliation under state and federal law.' The new version requires only 'reasonable accommodations and retaliation under state and federal law,' removing medical leave and disability discrimination from the explicit list.

The timing language changed from 'On or before July 1, 2027' (a one-time deadline) to 'Beginning July 1, 2027' (an ongoing obligation that starts on that date).

Three new Assembly members (Connolly, Kalra, and Papan) were added as coauthors to the bill.

Text within Section 8423 (the menopause outreach and education requirements) was repositioned in the document but the substance of the language is unchanged.

Section 12950 had duplicate subdivision letters (two '(f)'s and two '(g)'s, with the second of each being empty). The amendment consolidates these into single subdivisions (f) and (g), removing the empty duplicates.

Page numbering was corrected from 99 to 98 throughout the document.