Policy
The following are the bills recommended by the Commission for 2022. Please check this page for regular updates.
You Can’t Fix What You Can’t See
Employer transparency is key to achieving equal pay for women and people of color. We can’t fix what we can’t see. That’s why the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls alongside Equal Rights Advocates, California Employment Lawyers Association and Tech Equity Collaborative are co-sponsoring SB 1162 authored by Commissioner Sen. Monique Limón.
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SB 1162 – Pay Transparency for Pay Equity Act
For large companies of 100+ employees, SB 1162 would:
Require companies to report pay information for contract workers.
Contract positions are more likely to be held by women and people of color. Given the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on these groups, it is imperative that we end the discrepancies for these workers as part of our efforts to help women recover economically in California.
Require employers to list salary ranges on job postings & require internal pay transparency.
Employers would be required to publish the salary ranges for job postings, or how much an hourly position would pay and to report pay data internally to all employees and contract workers — including how much workers are paid according to their gender, race, and ethnicity.
Require companies to make pay data public.
Transparency and accountability are key to closing gender and racial pay gaps. SB 1162 provides employees the data they need to advocate to narrow unfair wage gaps and negotiate more equitable pay.


Help Us End Discriminatory Taxes
AB 1287 prohibits businesses from assigning different prices for identical goods simply because of the gender the goods are marketed to. In order to price products differently, a business would have to prove there was substantial difference in the time or cost of production. Eliminating the Pink Tax eliminates one more barrier to gender equality. Compounded by the gender pay gap, arbitrary price differences are unjust and harmful. Women should be able to exercise their buying power without the fear of gender-based discrimination.
AB 1287 – Eliminate The “Pink Tax”
Title VII of the Civil Rights act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. However, women still pay more on average for identical products that are marketed specifically to women, and often are simply a different color – a phenomena known as the “Pink Tax.” Women make up as much as 85% of consumer purchases in the United States. Unequal prices for women translate to impacts for their own financial wellbeing as well as that of their families. AB 1287 prohibits businesses from assigning different prices for identical goods simply because of the gender the goods are marketed to.

Social Media Toolkit
AB 1287 Fact Sheet
Report
Press Release
2022 Legislative Priorities
This session, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is proud to support the following bills:
AB 411 (Irwin) Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Bond Act of 2022 (Support)
AB 1287 (Bauer-Kahan) Eliminate The “Pink Tax” (Sponsor)
AB 1666 (Bauer-Kahan) Abortion: Civil Actions (Support)
AB 2029 (Wicks) Health Care Coverage: Treatment for Infertility (Support)
AB 2134 (Weber) California Abortion and Reproductive Equity (CARE) Act (Support)
AB 2134 (Weber) California Abortion and Reproductive Equity (CARE) Act (Support)
AB 2185 (Weber) Domestic Violence Examinations (Support)
AB 2482 (Caledron) Wellness Vending Machine Pilot Program (Support)
AB 2549 (Bonta) Street Harassment Prevention (Support)
AB 2586 (C. Garcia) Reproductive and Sexual Health Working Group (Support)
AB 2626 (Calderon) Abortion Provider Protections (Support)
AB 2790 (Wicks) Centering Survivor Safety and Health (Support)
AB 2800 (Dahle) Sexual Abuse: medical evidentiary examinations: reimbursement (Support)
AB 2872 (Weber) Domestic Violence: victims: address confidentiality (Support)
SB 914 (Rubio) Homelessness: Domestic Violence Survivors (Support)
SB 923 (Weiner) Gender-Affirming Care (Support)
SB 975 (Min) Protecting Vulnerable Populations from Coerced Debt (support)
AB 2022 (Ramos) State Government
SB 1017 (Eggman) Leases: Termination of Tenancy (Support)
SB 1115 (Skinner) Women in Trades (Support)
SB 1142 (Caballero) Abortion services (Sponsor)
SB 1162 (Limón) Pay Transparency for Pay Equity Act (Sponsor)
SB 1311 (Eggman) Veterans: protections. (Support)
ERA Coalition
The CCSWG is a proud member of the ERA Coalition, comprised of 200 national and local organizations representing millions of advocates working for the equality. Congress passed the ERA in 1972, but by 1982 only 35 states had ratified, three shy of the necessary 38. But in 2017 Nevada ratified the ERA; the first state in 40 years to do so; Illinois ratified in 2018. And Virginia ratified it on January 27th, 2020, and on February 13th, 2020 the House of Representatives voted to dissolve the time limit written in the amendment’s introduction. While it wasn’t taken up in the Senate last year, we’re hopeful it will pass both houses of Congress this year, since its 2021 bipartisan and bicameral introduction!

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Policy In a Pandemic
The pandemic induced economic crisis affected all Californians, but women have been hit especially hard. According to reports by the California Budget and Policy Center, in a five-year period leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, many women across the state were experiencing economic hardship — and this was happening during the longest period of economic growth on record!
- Many women of color in California are struggling to get by during Covid-19 with nearly 50% of Black and Latinx households surveyed reported difficulty paying for usual expenses such as food, utilities, clothing and rent.
- More than 6 in 10 Latinx and Black women in California live in households that lost earnings during the pandemic.
A year ago, U.S. women outnumbered men in the workforce, but just this December, they accounted for 100% of jobs lost in the workforce according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
- When broken down by race, Latina and Black women experienced unemployment levels that were higher than women’s overall unemployment rate of 6.3%.
The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls does a lot of things but one of our main jobs is to offer perspective to the Legislature and the Governor on what women need at the policy level. And right now, what women need is to be front and center in a fully equitable economic recovery.
Advocacy Archives
Click here to find previous policy and legislation efforts supported and/or sponsored by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Learn more here
2021 Legislative Session Wrap Up
The California State Legislature session ended on September 10th with a total of 694 measures that awaited the Governor’s signature. By the October 10th deadline, Eight of the nine Commission’s supported measures that made it to the Governor’s desk received his signature! This was in addition to the 2021-22 State Budget that funded many of the Commission’s priorities including maintaining MediCal telehealth through the end of 2022, waiving child care family fees through 2022, 9-8-8 mental health crisis hotline funding, free school meals and Medi-Cal coverage regardless of immigration status. Below are summaries of this year’s achievements that will have great impact the lives of low income women and girls, especially of color, pregnant people and survivors of abuse
Economic Security Bills
Family-Friendly Workplaces & Protection
Gender Based Discrimination
Childcare/Education
Basic Needs
AB 14 (Aguiar-Curry)/SB 4 (Gonzalez) Internet For All: broadband services: California Advanced Services Fund PASSED
Prioritizes the deployment of broadband infrastructure in California’s most vulnerable and unserved rural and urban communities by extending the ongoing collection of funds deposited into the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) to provide communities with grants necessary to bridge the digital divide.
SB 331 (Leyva) Silence No More Act PASSED
Abusing workers then forcing silence – under the threat of lost income and healthcare – is depraved. 40 MILLION people will no longer have to stay silent when they are a victim of any type of harassment or discrimination in the workplace with this new law.
Wellness Bills
Health Access
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SB 56 (Durazo)/ AB 4 (Arambula) Medical Eligibility: Undocumented Seniors
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Ab 32 (Agiuar-Curry) Telehealth-Expanding Healthcare Accessibility
Mental Health
Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Prevention & Support
Reproductive Justice
Safety
SB 65 (Skinner) Maternal Care and Services Momnibus Bill PASSED
This law establishes a comprehensive program to improve maternal and infant outcomes, which is especially critical for families of color, by providing birthing options like doulas, expands access to midwives, extends Medi-Cal care and provides cash aid to low-income pregnant people.
AB 367 (C. Garcia) Menstrual Equity Act 2021 PASSED
Access to menstrual products shouldn’t be considered a luxury – it’s a basic need. But 1 in 5 first generation college students still experience period poverty. This law requires and expands access to free menstrual products in K-12 schools, community colleges, and CSUs.
AB 1356 (Bauer-Kahan) Protecting Reproductive Health Clinic Patients PASSED
True access to reproductive healthcare requires safety and privacy. This law will strengthen protections for patients and providers from harassment and doxing at reproductive health clinics, in light of the uptick in extremist activity and tasks the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls with reviewing and recommending changes to legislation and peace officer training for handling reproductive health crimes.
Equity Bills with SB 645 Graphic
AB 1171 (C. Garcia) Rape of a spouse PASSED
Rape is rape and now under the law it will be treated as such no matter the relationship status. This law protects vulnerable spouses.
AB 124 (Kamlager) Justice for Survivors PASSED
Over 90% of female-identified folks in California’s prison are themselves victims of abuse. This law supports survivors of violence, including domestic violence and human trafficking, by providing a clear legal mechanism for trauma-informed charging, sentencing, and resentencing for survivors on trial and currently imprisoned
Contact Our Advocacy Team
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