AB 144 is an omnibus health trailer bill which contains changes to implement the 2025–26 budget and primarily makes changes to health regulations, licensing, Medi-Cal, and public health standards. For schools, the most direct impact comes in the immunization and notification provisions.
Existing law requires school districts to include in the annual notice to parents and guardians that the state recommends students complete the full immunization schedule for the human papillomavirus (HPV) before entering eighth (8th) grade. Existing law also requires both public and private schools to notify parents or guardians that the state recommends HPV vaccination before admission to the 8th grade. Both provisions require the notice to reflect the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Beginning July 1, 2026, both public and private schools will need to issue HPV vaccine notices consistent with the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), rather than the CDC and ACIP. AB 144 also specifies that the notice must clearly state that HPV vaccination prevents over 90% of HPV-related cancers, that the vaccine is safe, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.
(AB 144 amends Section 48980.4 of the Education Code and amends, repeals, and adds Section 120336 of the Health and Safety Code.)