BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
AB 2308 (Stone) - Prisoners: identification cards.
Amended: June 15, 2014 Policy Vote: Public Safety 7-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 4, 2014
Consultant: Jolie Onodera
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 2308 would require the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) to ensure that all eligible inmates
released from state prison have valid identification cards, as
specified.
Fiscal Impact:
First-year costs of $2.2 million (Special Fund*) in 2014-15,
and ongoing costs of $2.2 million (General Fund) to the CDCR
to expand the existing Cal-ID Program to all eligible inmates.
Annual costs include additional staffing at CDCR, staffing at
DMV funded by CDCR through an existing MOU, and costs to
produce the ID cards.
Potentially significant additional annual costs of $1.8
million (General Fund) to the extent "eligible inmates" is
interpreted more broadly than providing Cal-ID cards to those
inmates currently eligible under the existing CDCR program
requirements.
*Inmate Welfare Fund
Background: The CDCR California Identification (CAL-ID) Program
was implemented in October 2013 and provides a valid California
identification card to eligible inmates upon their release from
prison. The CAL-ID Program is located at any prison facility
that is currently designated as a reentry hub institution (13
institutions). All eligible offenders scheduled for release from
reentry hub institutions, regardless of whether they are
enrolled in a reentry hub program, can apply for a CAL-ID if
they meet the following eligibility requirements:
Be within 120-210 days of release.
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Have no active felony hold, warrant, or detainer that
may result in additional incarceration following release.
Not have an active Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) hold, which would result in deportation.
Provide a valid Social Security Number.
Have been issued a California identification card or
driver license from the DMV within the previous 10 years.
Provide an address, including zip code, where he/she
will reside upon release.
According to information provided to by CDCR, "As of May 31,
2014, since the program's inception in October 2013, the
Department has delivered a total of 2,714 applications to the
DMV on behalf of eligible inmates, with approximately 1,875
applications being approved and IDs delivered to inmates upon
their release. (Please note that the application number
includes 486 applications that were submitted in May but have
not yet been processed by DMV, so the approval number is
expected to increase.) Generally, DMV approves approximately 84
percent of the applications that have been submitted during this
program."
Proposed Law: This bill would require the CDCR and the DMV to
ensure that all eligible inmates released from state prison have
valid identification cards, as specified.
Related Legislation: SB 852 (Leno) Chapter 25/2014 appropriated
$2.2 million from the Inmate Welfare Fund to CDCR for the
purpose of expanding the Cal-ID program currently implemented at
the reentry hubs to all state prisons to prepare inmates for
release.
Staff Comments: The CDCR indicates the Cal-ID Program is
currently operating at all 13 institutions that are designated
as reentry hubs. Under its current agreement with the DMV, which
ends June 2015, CDCR funds one DMV position as well as the cost
to produce the ID cards. The current agreement sets a maximum of
12,000 cards annually at a reduced rate of $8 per card. During
May 2014, CDCR processed 486 Cal-ID applications for DMV review.
To expand the existing program without changing the process or
criteria, the CDCR estimates an ongoing need of 21 additional
positions at each of the 21 institutions, including the
California Health Care Facility, that are not designated as
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reentry hubs to assist inmates with completing the Cal-ID
applications. In addition, to meet the increased workload, it
was estimated that the DMV would require five additional
positions to process the applications and complete the facial
recognition component. CDCR also estimates two additional
positions for program administration. This additional staffing
would allow CDCR to issue approximately 18,500 additional cards
annually.
Annual costs for the additional positions at CDCR/DMV and the ID
cards are estimated at $2.2 million. The 2014 Budget Act
appropriates $2.2 million from the Inmate Welfare Fund for these
purposes, and annual costs thereafter are estimated to be
supported by the General Fund. Staff notes the 2014-15 projected
year-end balance of the IWF is $60.8 million.
To the extent the requirement to provide Cal-ID cards to all
"eligible inmates" is interpreted to mandate the provision of
Cal-ID cards to inmates more broadly than to those inmates
eligible under CDCR's current program eligibility requirements
could result in additional costs of $1.8 million annually for
additional workload and ID cards.