The cost drove the governor to veto the measure again this year. The bill’s backers said the cost of treating sexually transmitted infections is greater.
California schools will not be required to provide free condoms to high school students next year after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to veto a bill that would have mandated it.
The legislation would have ensured that all public high school students have access to free condoms and prevented schools from prohibiting condom distribution during sex education classes and health fairs.
The measure also would have prohibited pharmacies and other retailers from asking condom buyers for identification.
In his rejection letter Wednesday, Newsom explained the costly program would put pressure on the state’s education budget.
He rejected the same bill last year, also for financial reasons.
Newsom faced a budget deficit estimated at $38 billion to $73 billion earlier this year after revenue was weaker than expected. He signed a state budget in June that reduced spending by $16 billion through deep program cuts while maintaining required funding for education.
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California’s Proposition 98 created a constitutional amendment in 1988 that established an annual minimum funding level for kindergarten through community college students.
The free-condom bill, Senate Bill 954, would have added