AB 968: Contraceptives.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes, in the Department of Consumer Affairs, the California State Board of Pharmacy to license and regulate the practice of pharmacy.

Existing law authorizes a physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and specified other health care practitioners acting within the scope of their practice to use a self-screening tool to identify patient risk factors for the use of self-administered hormonal contraceptives by a patient and, after examination, to prescribe, furnish, or dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives to the patient.

This bill would, instead, make those provisions applicable to contraceptives.

Existing law authorizes a pharmacist to furnish self-administered hormonal contraceptives in accordance with standardized procedures or protocols developed and approved by both the California State Board of Pharmacy and the Medical Board of California, in consultation with specified other entities.

This bill would authorize a pharmacist to also furnish federal Food and Drug Administration-approved nonhormonal contraceptives in accordance with those standardized procedures or protocols. The bill would require a pharmacist, for each federal Food and Drug Administration-approved nonhormonal contraceptives initiated, to provide the recipient with a standardized fact sheet, as specified.

Existing law prohibits a pharmacist, pharmacist’s employer, or pharmacist’s agent from directly charging a patient a separate consultation fee for emergency contraception drug therapy services and requires the pharmacist to disclose the total retail price of the emergency contraception drug therapy. Existing law makes those provisions inoperative for dedicated emergency contraception drugs if these drugs are reclassified as over-the-counter products by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. September 13, 2025Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Pérez.
2. August 20, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
3. August 19, 2025From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
4. July 14, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
5. July 9, 2025From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
6. July 3, 2025In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
7. June 23, 2025In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
8. June 11, 2025In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
9. June 9, 2025From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
10. June 4, 2025Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
11. May 28, 2025In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
12. May 27, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 1737.)