• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to add QR codes to student ID cards.
• Then, he used a QR code to announce he had signed the bill into law.
• The bill’s author said it was the first time a QR code was used as a signing message.

You might be used to scanning a QR code to see a restaurant menu.

But California just brought QR codes — shortcuts that take users to a desired landing page by aiming their smartphone camera at it — into the state legislature.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday allowing student ID cards to include QR codes linking to local mental health resources. The bill applies to public and private school students in grades 7 through 12.

To announce he had signed the bill into law, Newsom let a QR code do the talking. Republican State Sen. Shannon Grove, who authored the bill, said it was the “first time in legislative history” that a QR code was used as a signing message.

A QR code emblematic of the state flag took up the better part of the memo to the state Senate.

The QR code led to a separate memo in which Newsom congratulated Ishmeet Singh, the high school student behind the bill. In a press release from Grove’s office, Singh said the QR codes will make mental health resources easier to access for students facing mental health crises.

“I am thrilled that students across the state of California will now have essential mental health resources at their fingertips to combat their distress,” he said. “With the concept of the QR code being ubiquitous in today’s modern era, it was essential to incorporate this technology in Student IDs to make resources more user friendly.”

In his personalized note to Singh, Newsom echoed the student’s sentiments.

“Kudos to you for bringing this bill idea to Senator Grove. You recognized that by modernizing student ID cards with a QR code, students can have easier access to information about local mental health services,” Newsom wrote, applauding Singh for “engaging civically, and making a change for the better.”