The California State Bar will be banned from seeking a would-be lawyer's mental health records as part of its moral character assessment process under legislation signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law is aimed at ending the bar's practice of requiring applicants to sign broad waivers allowing the Committee on Bar Examiners to access documents or data related to their medical and mental health.

The legislation's author, Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, cited a 2016 survey of law school students by the American Bar Association that found 42% of respondents said they needed mental health treatment. But only half of those who needed treatment sought it for fear of how that might be perceived by law schools, the bar and future employers, according to the survey.

“There is no reason why perfectly capable people with PTSD or depression, who suffered with those issues, can't practice law and do so effectively,” Umberg said in a statement.

A bar spokeswoman said in June that examiners only request mental health records when “underlying misconduct” raises moral character questions. Bar admissions managers must approve such requests, she said.

How often the bar delves into those records is unclear, but Umberg said he knows of candidates who fear what they might have to divulge about seeking professional help. The new law will stop the bar from asking for those records unless applicants themselves request their review to demonstrate that they are of good moral character or to explain a specific act of misconduct in the past.

The bar did not take a position on the bill.