BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        AB 672|
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                                   THIRD READING 


          Bill No:  AB 672
          Author:   Jones-Sawyer (D)
          Amended:  9/4/15 in Senate
          Vote:     21  

           SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE:  11-0, 7/7/15
           AYES:  Beall, Cannella, Allen, Bates, Gaines, Galgiani, Leyva,  
            McGuire, Mendoza, Roth, Wieckowski

           SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE:  7-0, 7/14/15
           AYES:  Hancock, Anderson, Glazer, Leno, Liu, Monning, Stone

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:  7-0, 8/27/15
           AYES:  Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  79-0, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote

           SUBJECT:   Inmates:  wrongful convictions:  assistance upon  
                     release


          SOURCE:    California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
          
          DIGEST:   This bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles  
          (DMV) to issue a free driver's license or identification card to  
          an individual who was wrongfully convicted and has been released  
          from state prison or county jail within the past six months.

          Senate Floor Amendments of 9/4/15 clarify what information an  
          individual must provide to the DMV in order to receive a free  
          license or identification card pursuant to this bill.

          ANALYSIS:   








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          Existing law: 
          1)Authorizes DMV to charge a $26 application fee when issuing an  
            identification card.  

          2)Requires DMV to issue a free identification card to an  
            applicant 62 years of age or older.

          3)Requires DMV to charge a reduced application fee of $6 to an  
            individual with a current income level meeting the eligibility  
            requirements for certain public assistance programs.

          4)Requires DMV, effective January 1, 2016, to issue a free  
            original or replacement identification card to an individual  
            who can verify his or her status as homeless.

          5)Requires the state Department of Corrections and  
            Rehabilitation (CDCR) and DMV, effective January 1, 2015, to  
            ensure that all eligible inmates released from state prisons  
            have valid identification cards.

          6)Authorizes DMV to charge a $33 application fee when issuing a  
            driver's license to an eligible applicant.

          This bill:

          1)Requires CDCR to assist an individual who was wrongfully  
            convicted and has been released with transitional services,  
            including housing assistance, job training, and mental health  
            services, for a minimum of six months and a maximum of one  
            year after the date of release.

          2)Prohibits DMV from charging a fee for an original, renewal, or  
            replacement driver's license or identification card issued to  
            any person who was wrongfully convicted and released from  
            state prison or county jail within the prior six months.

          Comments
          
          Purpose.  The author states that with the technological  
          developments of DNA evidence and a growing number of Innocence  
          Projects throughout the country, persons wrongfully convicted of  
          crimes are receiving a second chance at life.  According to the  







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          Los Angeles Times, a total of 1,493 wrongfully convicted inmates  
          have been set free since the first DNA tests in 1989.  However,  
          after decades in prison, these individuals are sometimes  
          released back into the community without any compensation or  
          re-entry services.  For example, in 2011, Obie Anthony, after  
          being wrongfully convicted, was released from detention after  
          spending 17 years in prison, with just the clothes on his back  
          and a few dollars in his pocket.  By contrast, parolees often  
          receive assistance with various necessities such as food and  
          clothing vouchers, benefits, job training, and housing  
          placements.  This bill will help ensure that wrongfully  
          convicted individuals such as Obie Anthony receive transitional  
          assistance back into the community.

          How many individuals might this bill impact?  California  
          Attorneys for Criminal Justice, the source of this bill, notes  
          that according to the University of Michigan's National Registry  
          of Exonerations, 24 persons have been exonerated in California  
          since 1989.  

          Related/Prior Legislation
          
          AB 1733 (Quirk-Silva, Chapter 764, Statutes of 2014), among  
          other provisions, requires DMV to issue, without a fee, an  
          original or replacement identification card to any individual  
          who can verify his or her status as homeless.

          AB 2308 (Stone, Chapter 607, Statutes of 2014) requires CDCR to  
          ensure that all inmates released from state prisons have valid  
          identification cards. 

          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:YesLocal:   No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill is  
          likely to incur:

           Potentially significant costs to CDCR of $180,000 to $360,000  
            (General Fund) annually to provide transitional services for  
            six months to one year for eligible persons. This estimate  
            reflects the cost to provide services for six months to one  
            year for 10 persons per year. 

           Ongoing potential minor loss of fee revenue (Special Fund*) to  







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            DMV due to the prohibition on charging initial, renewal, or  
            replacement fees on driver's licenses or identification cards  
            issued to any person wrongfully convicted and released from  
            state prison or county jail within the previous six months.

           One-time minor costs of $15,000 (Special Fund*) for DMV to  
            reprogram its automation system to enable a waiver of fees for  
            the specified population.

          *Motor Vehicle Account  




          SUPPORT:   (Verified9/4/15)


          California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (source)
          California Association of Code Enforcement Officers
          California Catholic Conference of Bishops
          California College and University Police Chiefs Association
          California Narcotic Officers Association
          Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
          Los Angeles Police Protective League
          National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
          Riverside Sheriffs Association


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified9/4/15)


          None received

          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  79-0, 6/3/15
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,  
            Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,  
            Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,  
            Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina  
            Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,  
            Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,  
            Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,  
            Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina,  
            Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,  
            Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,  







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            Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,  
            Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Thurmond

          Prepared by:Erin Riches / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
          9/8/15 17:21:42


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