In a move opposed by the pornographic film industry, performers in California will now need to use condoms during shoots.

A new bill, which passed the state assembly on Tuesday, also requires employers to provide their actors with regular screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

Assemblyman Isadore Hall said his bill was a workplace safety measure to curb the spread of STDs.

“Whether you work in agriculture, manufacturing, health care, food service or any other industry, all workers deserve a safe workplace to make a living,” said Hall, who tried and failed twice before to pass such legislation.

Adult-film representatives say the bill will persuade their industry – reportedly worth $US6 billion ($A6.5 billion) to the San Fernando Valley – to leave California.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a sponsor of the bill, says it will pursue film producers who leave the state, with a much-debated argument that porn shoots are technically illegal in most states.

Last northern autumn, the foundation filed a complaint about an adult film made in Florida, where California porn makers had outsourced unprotected sex scenes.

High-profile film stars had also opposed the bill, saying its provisions would undermine their medical privacy and that existing testing protocols were sufficient.

“Condoms are made for home environments, normal sex and normal time frames,” actress Kayden Kross said in an April hearing.

Other porn actors who have contracted HIV have supported the bill, saying their employers put their health second to profits.