California Assemblywoman Tasha Bonner Horvath announced Monday that Assembly Bill (AB) 467, known as "Equal Pay for Equal Play," has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bill addresses the long-standing gender pay gap in competitive sports and mandates equity in sports awards for both male and female participants in all sporting events, including professional cycling on state-owned land.

"It is sobering and an honor to see this bill signed into law, advancing the historic efforts of so many athletes and advocates who stood up for equality," said Bonner Horvath in a press statement.

"The overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill shows that the state legislature and Governor Newsom support women and girls throughout California.

AB 467 mandates equal prize money compensation for all athletes, regardless of gender, as a condition of approving lease or permit applications for sporting events on state property. This means that before an event organizer can proceed, he or she must assure equal prize money for men and women at each level of participation. [AB 467 would affect all cycling events held in California, including the Amgen Tour of California and the Redlands Bicycle Classic. [The passage of AB 467 is not only a monumental moment in the sport, but a social shift toward equity and progress," said Catherine Bertin, former professional cyclist and CEO of the Homestretch Foundation. [We have proven that inclusion is important and we have moved the dial forward. We look forward to the impact this bill will have not only in California, but across the country. This is just the beginning of an equal play for equal pay.

This spring, Bertin teamed up with Sabrina Brennan, co-founder of CEWS (Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing), to attempt to fix/close loopholes in California Assembly Bill 467.

The bill was amended and passed to include equal pay, but still allows for the exclusion of women from competition on state roads and state lands, and makes no mention of equal race day.

Brennan, who is also the founder of Sports Equity, sent a letter to Caltrans' director in May asking that the permit requirements be updated to reflect equal access to the roadways.

In addition, Bertin wrote a letter in support of an amendment requiring that multi-day cycling events include the same number of race days for both women and men. Bertin submitted a letter of "Oppose Unless Amended" requesting that the bill be formally uploaded into the California Code of Laws with amendments.

Although the bill's passage did not include an amendment requiring equal roadway use, Bertin is hopeful that a new amendment mandating equal pay in competitive sports will be sufficient to lobby for additional changes in the future.

She pointed out that the Amgen Tour of California offers equal prize money for men and women, but only seven days of racing for men and three days for women.

"This is where we fight the good fight," Bertin told Cycling News. 'If the men's race is seven days and the women's race is only three days, then the women are not being paid equally because they are not being allowed to work equally.' In other words, we can use this bill to demand a change: equal pay for equal play." "Because the play is not equal, the pay is not equal either. Licensing can have a big impact here."