BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2326
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 21, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2326 (Bass) - As Introduced: February 19, 2010
Policy Committee: Public
SafetyVote: 7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill expands the responsibilities, and extends the
existence of, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's
(CDCR) Reentry Advisory Committee (RAC). Specifically, this
bill:
1)Extends the sunset on the RAC from January 2011 to January
2016.
2)Adds three members to the RAC:
a) A public defender or private defense attorney
b) A representative of a community-based organization
familiar with the reentry needs of offenders in southern
California
c) A representative of a faith-based organization familiar
with the reentry needs of offenders in northern California.
3)Requires the RAC to provide advisory reports regarding reentry
programs and anti-recidivism efforts to the governor and the
Legislature no less than annually.
4)Requires the RAC to develop a resource guide for
community-based organizations, faith-based organizations,
service providers, law enforcement agencies, and industry and
governmental entities working to address reentry issues.
AB 2326
Page 2
5)Requires the RAC to "immediately" apply for federal funding
through the Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety
Through Recidivism Prevention (Act).
6)Requires the RAC to develop, as required by the Act, a
comprehensive strategic inmate reentry plan, with annual and
five-year performance goals, aimed at reducing the recidivism
rate of inmates served by the Act by 50% over five years.
7)Requires the RAC to submit an annual report to the Legislature
and the U.S. Attorney General regarding performance outcomes.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Moderate annual (for the five-year RAC extension) GF costs, in
the range of $750,000 annually, to expand and extend the
mission of the RAC from the current 2011 sunset to 2016.
CDCR has suspended support for the RAC, citing fiscal
restraints, and the contract with UC Davis for meeting
facilitation is being closed out. Should the sunset be
extended, CDCR indicates ongoing costs would increase - aside
from the proposed expansion of responsibilities - due to
CDCR's inability to contribute additional personnel and
services.
(Preliminary estimates from CDCR suggest annual GF costs would
exceed $1.2 million, plus one-time consulting costs of about
$700,000.)
New costs for the expanded duties proposed by this bill
include:
a) Annual GF reporting costs in the range of $100,000 (GF),
for advisory reports to the Legislature and the governor.
b) Annual GF reporting costs in the range of $100,000 (GF),
for the report to the Legislature and the U.S. Attorney
General.
c) One-time GF costs, in the range of $150,000, to prepare
a comprehensive strategic inmate reentry plan, as required
by federal law for grant eligibility.
AB 2326
Page 3
2)Potential federal grant awards that could range up to $750,000
per year, per project, which would require a 100% state match.
Because at least half of the match must be cash, with the
balance in-kind contributions, the state would have to expend
potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to qualify for
federal funds. These funds would go to the development of
reentry projects to support recidivism reduction strategies.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author's intent is to ensure California does
not miss an opportunity to receive federal funds to help
address the state's persistent prison overcrowding issues and
to encourage CDCR to continue inmate reentry efforts beyond
the 2011 sunset of the RAC.
2)Current law established the RAC, which includes
representatives from local government, law enforcement,
probation, the courts, teachers and parole officers, and
providers in areas including substance abuse, employment,
medical and mental health, and housing, to advise the CDCR
secretary on inmate reentry strategies and services.
3)The federal Second Chance Act was signed into law by President
Bush in April 2008. It authorizes federal grants to government
agencies and community and faith-based organizations to
provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment,
housing, family programming, mentoring, victims support, and
other services to help reduce recidivism. In March 2009,
President Obama signed an omnibus appropriations bill for the
remainder of fiscal year 2009 that provides $25 million for
Second Chance Act programs, including $15 million for state
and local reentry demonstration projects and $10 million for
grants to nonprofit organizations for mentoring and other
transitional services.
4)Similar legislation, AB 845 (Bass) was vetoed last year for
fiscal concerns. The governor stated, "This bill imposes
several new duties upon the RAC without providing any new
funding to pay for them. I cannot sign a bill that creates
such unfunded mandates for the State of California during this
time of fiscal crisis."
Analysis Prepared by : Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
AB 2326
Page 4