BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           589 (Cook)
          
          Hearing Date:  07/23/2009           Amended: 06/01/2009
          Consultant:  Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Public Safety  
          7-0
                                                           V.A. 6-0
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
          BILL SUMMARY: AB 589 authorizes the Department of Corrections  
          and Rehabilitation (CDCR) or a local law enforcement agency to  
          contract with county veterans service officers in the county  
          where the state or local correctional facility is located to  
          assist incarcerated veterans, as specified, and the veterans'  
          dependents in presenting and pursuing claims against the United  
          States arising out of war service and in establishing the  
          veterans' and dependents' right to any privilege, preference,  
          care, or compensation they may be entitled to. This bill  
          specifies that CDCR or the local enforcement agency may,  
          pursuant to the contract, compensate a county veterans service  
          officer for the assistance provided at a rate of no more than  
          $20,000 annually, and that no more than six correctional  
          facilities may be the subject of such contracts.
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2009-10      2010-11       2011-12     Fund
           Veterans services contracts    Up to $60        Up to $120        
          Up to $120      General

          Develop & manage contracts    $10-20             $20-40           
             $20-40          General                    
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense file.
          
          This bill allows CDCR to contract with county veterans service  
          officers in the county in which the correctional facility is  
          located, to provide specified services to incarcerated veterans.  
          This bill limits CDCR to six contracts of no more than $20,000  
          each. Because CDCR is a General Fund department, this bill  










          creates new GF cost pressure. 

          CDCR would also be responsible for developing and managing the  
          contracts, which, depending on the number and level of CDCR  
          involvement negotiated, could require up to 1 PY (at the analyst  
          level). The cost of one such PY is about $80,000. This workload  
          would, however, in part supplant current CDCR efforts to connect  
          these inmates with the United States Department of Veterans  
          Services (USDVA), likely resulting in the need for only up to   
          PY. CDCR currently works with the USDVA to identify inmates who  
          are eligible for services, and USDVA representatives visit each  
          institution approximately every two months to meet with  
          incarcerated veterans and inform them of resources available to  
          them upon their release.