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The legislature is considering AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025, which significantly expands who can authorize school-related medical care for a minor.
It amends the Education, Family, Health & Safety, and Probate Codes to broaden caregiver authorization.
The WAPF OPPOSES this bill because it:
- Allows a “nonrelative extended family member”—any adult with an established familial or mentoring relationship—to execute a caregiver’s authorization affidavit and gain the same authority as a guardian for school-related medical and dental care, including vaccinations. This includes people like godparents, mentors, neighbors, or family friends who have a meaningful relationship with the child—or even just with a relative of the child.
- If this nonrelative fills out the affidavit, they can consent to nearly all medical and dental care for the child—including mental health treatment—with the same legal weight as a formal guardian.
- Eliminates the one-year expiration for caregiver affidavits; they remain valid indefinitely until the caregiver notifies the school or provider that the child no longer lives with them.
- Does not require parental signature or court authorization to grant these rights.
- Shields schools and providers from liability if they act in “good faith” based solely on the affidavit, with no obligation to notify or verify with parents beforehand.
This means someone could use an affidavit to authorize medical care or vaccination for a child—without the parent’s knowledge or consent—as long as they claim an established relationship and submit the form under penalty of perjury.
AB 495 has been moving but has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file due to its significant fiscal impact on the state. This means the bill is temporarily on hold while the committee decides whether to move it forward, amend it, or hold it permanently.
Now is a critical time for constituents to make their voices heard!
TAKE ACTION:
Contact your California State Senator and ask them to OPPOSE AB 495.
You can find out who represents you at http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
Calls are more effective than emails and only take a few minutes.
Sample script:
“Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent from [Your City].
I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to oppose AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025.
This bill would expand caregiver affidavits so that any adult, including non-relatives, could claim authority over a child. It would allow them to pick up a child from school or childcare, and even consent to medical and dental procedures—including vaccinations—without the parent’s knowledge or consent.
There are no meaningful safeguards or verification requirements in this bill. That lack of oversight opens the door to abuse, puts children’s safety at risk, and undermines parental rights.
Parents—not unrelated adults with no accountability—should make decisions about their children’s health and care.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge Senator [Name] to vote No on AB 495.”
Be sure to explain why this issue is important to you. You may wish to use a couple of the talking points below. Don’t copy all of them – just use them as ideas to help structure your own message.
TALKING POINTS for calls and emails:
- If this bill passes, schools and healthcare providers will not be required to obtain parental consent before a child receives medical treatment, including vaccination.
- Caregivers may not know a child’s full medical history, which could lead to unsafe medical decisions and increase the risk of injury or death.
- Vaccines, like all pharmaceutical products, carry risks. Children should never be vaccinated without the explicit consent of their parents.
- Individuals who disagree with a parent’s vaccine choices could obtain authorization, pick a child up from school, and have them vaccinated—without the parent ever being notified.
- If AB 495 passes, caregiver affidavits would no longer automatically expire after one year; they remain valid until rescinded, increasing the risk of outdated or fraudulent use.
- While the bill adds a clause requiring a child’s consent for surgery if they’re 14 or older, it still sidelines parents by granting broad decision-making authority to unrelated adults.
MORE INFORMATION
View the text, status, and history of the bill here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB495
Read more about the dangers of vaccines here: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vaccines-unsafe-since-the-very-beginning/#gsc.tab=0
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