SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a Invoice on Sunday that may have made free condoms obtainable all public Highschool College Students, arguing it was too costly for a state with a finances deficit of greater than $30 billion.

California had about 1.9 million highschool College Students enrolled in additional than 4,000 faculties final 12 months, in accordance with the California Division of Schooling.

“This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process,” Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the invoice, referred to as Senate invoice 541.

The invoice is one in every of a whole lot handed by California’s Democratic-dominated state Legislature earlier than lawmakers adjourned final month. Newsom has been signing and vetoing laws since then, together with rejecting payments on Saturday to ban caste-based discrimination, restrict the value of insulin and decriminalize possession and use of some hallucinogens.

The invoice would have required all public faculties which have grades 9 via 12 to make condoms obtainable totally free to all college students. It could have required public faculties with grades seven via 12 to permit condoms to be made obtainable as a part of academic or public well being applications.

And it will have made it unlawful for retailers to refuse to promote condoms to youth.

State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat from Los Angeles and the writer of the invoice, had argued the invoice would have helped “youth who decide to become sexually active to protect themselves and their partners from (sexually transmitted infections), while also removing barriers that potentially shame them and lead to unsafe sex.”

Newsom stated applications rising entry to condoms are “important to supporting improved adolescent sexual health.” However he stated this invoice was one in every of a number of measures lawmakers handed this 12 months that, when added collectively, would add $19 billion in prices to the state finances.

“With our state facing continuing economic risk and revenue uncertainty, it is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications, such as this measure,” Newsom stated.

Additionally on Sunday, Newsom signed a legislation aimed a electrifying the state’s fleet of faculty buses. Beginning in 2035, the legislation would require any new bus bought or contracted by faculty districts to be zero-emission.

California’s public faculty districts that present their very own transportation personal about 15,800 faculty buses, of which 10,800 are powered by diesel gasoline, in accordance with a 2022 report from the Legislative Analyst’s Workplace.

The legislation is a part of California’s plan to part out the usage of fossil fuels. State laws will ban the sale of recent gas-powered automobiles in California by 2035.

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