republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20212022/ab-421.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Change of gender and sex identifier.	Existing law authorizes a person to file a petition with the superior court seeking a judgment recognizing their change of gender to female, male, or nonbinary. Under existing law, if the person whose gender is to be changed is under 18 years of age, the petition is required to be signed by at least one of the minor's parents or a guardian or attorney of the minor, or if both parents are deceased and there is no guardian of the minor, by a near relative or friend of the minor. Under existing law, to be operative January 1, 2023, if the petition does not include a signature from one of those persons, the court is required to make an order directing the person or persons whose required signatures are not on the petition to show cause why the petition should not be granted by filing a written objection, as specified.	us/states/ca	California Legislature	20212022	AB 421	California AB 421 (20212022)	bill	Change of gender and sex identifier.	enacted	Ward	8	35	10	2021-02-04	2022-06-23	openstates	ocd-bill/40c9c50d-1bbd-4857-9dc9-7de638bfde25	http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB421	92ee97d3a120b29e9b57565e41f232d1755c1d04195146993f636b0d5815eea2	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-ca

California AB 421 (20212022) — Change of gender and sex identifier.

Existing law authorizes a person to file a petition with the superior court seeking a judgment recognizing their change of gender to female, male, or nonbinary. Under existing law, if the person whose gender is to be changed is under 18 years of age, the petition is required to be signed by at least one of the minor's parents or a guardian or attorney of the minor, or if both parents are deceased and there is no guardian of the minor, by a near relative or friend of the minor. Under existing law, to be operative January 1, 2023, if the petition does not include a signature from one of those persons, the court is required to make an order directing the person or persons whose required signatures are not on the petition to show cause why the petition should not be granted by filing a written objection, as specified.

Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. 02/04/21 - Introduced (filed) — source
2. 05/02/22 - Amended Senate (committee substitute) — source
3. 05/24/21 - Amended Assembly (committee substitute) — source
4. 06/02/22 - Amended Senate (committee substitute) — source
5. 06/23/22 - Chaptered (committee substitute) — source
6. 06/29/21 - Amended Senate (committee substitute) — source
7. AB421 (committee substitute) — source
8. 06/20/22 - Enrolled (enrolled) — source

Votes

• 3rd Reading AB421 Ward By Laird Urgency Clause — 29–8 (pass) · upper
• AB 421 Ward Concurrence - Urgency Added — 57–1 (pass) · lower
• Placed on suspense file — 6–0 (pass) · upper
• Do pass as amended. — 16–0 (pass) · lower
• Do pass — 7–0 (pass) · upper
• Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 12–0 (pass) · lower
• Do pass as amended — 8–0 (pass) · upper
• AB 421 Ward Assembly Third Reading — 79–0 (pass) · lower
• Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — 7–0 (pass) · upper
• With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in. — 9–1 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Ward — primary (person)

Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

• 2021-02-04 Read first time. To print. reading-1
• 2021-02-05 From printer. May be heard in committee March 7.
• 2021-02-12 Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. referral-committee
• 2021-03-24 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee
• 2021-04-14 In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. referral-committee
• 2021-05-20 From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 20). amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage
• 2021-05-24 Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
• 2021-05-25 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
• 2021-06-01 Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1761.) passage, reading-1, reading-3
• 2021-06-02 In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. reading-1
• 2021-06-09 Referred to Com. on ED. referral-committee
• 2021-06-16 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee
• 2021-06-29 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR. amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
• 2021-07-05 In committee: Referred to suspense file. referral-committee
• 2021-08-26 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 26). committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
• 2021-08-26 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
• 2021-08-31 Ordered to special consent calendar.
• 2021-09-01 From special consent calendar.
• 2021-09-01 Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Hertzberg.
• 2022-05-02 From inactive file.
• 2022-05-02 Ordered to second reading.
• 2022-05-02 Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
• 2022-05-05 Re-referred to Com. on RLS pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(c). referral-committee
• 2022-05-11 Re-referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee
• 2022-06-01 From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (May 31). amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage
• 2022-06-02 Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
• 2022-06-09 Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 8. Page 4128.). passage, reading-1, reading-3
• 2022-06-09 In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after June 11 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
• 2022-06-13 Re-referred to Com. on JUD. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2. referral-committee
• 2022-06-13 Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Ayes 42. Noes 14.)
• 2022-06-14 From committee: That the Senate amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (June 14). committee-passage
• 2022-06-20 Urgency clause adopted. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 57. Noes 1.). amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
• 2022-06-22 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
• 2022-06-23 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
• 2022-06-23 Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 40, Statutes of 2022. became-law

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/40c9c50d-1bbd-4857-9dc9-7de638bfde25. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).