Newsom vetoes bill that would require free condoms in most California high schools

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have required most high schools in the state to make condoms available for free to all students in grades 9 through 12.

SB 954 would have required condoms to be placed in at least two locations on each campus starting in the 2025-26 school year, along with information about how to obtain and use them.

The bill would also have largely prohibited stores from refusing to sell nonprescription contraception to someone based solely on their age.

In his veto message , Newsom said he appreciated the bill’s commitment to the health and safety of students, but added the bill would have created ongoing cost pressures to the state “in the millions.”

Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year and in that veto message, he said that a bill with ongoing costs such as that one should be considered as part of the annual budget process.

In his veto message for this year’s version of the bill, Newsom said that the author “championed” $5 million in this year’s budget, but that that would be one-time funding and that it would “not adequately address the fiscal concerns associated with this bill.”

Legislators have the option of overriding the veto, but that has traditionally been avoided in the state government.

The veto was announced by the governor’s office in a message that lists dozens of other bills that he signed into law or vetoed.

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