BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 672|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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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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