BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2077
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 9, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                 AB 2077 (Davis) - As Introduced:  February 23, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              Labor and 
          Employment   Vote:                            5-1
                        Public Safety                         5-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Employment Development Department (EDD) 
          to develop a list of employers willing to employ people who have 
          been incarcerated in a state prison or county jail.  
          Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires EDD to make the list, sorted by county, available to 
            the public on its Internet website and upon request in its 
            offices.  

          2)Requires EDD to send the list and any updates to the 
            postrelease community supervision (PRCS) supervising county 
            agency, generally the county probation department.

          3)Requires the PRCS supervising county agency to give each 
            person who enters into a PRCS agreement the list created by 
            EDD, as specified.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)GF costs of at least $900,000 to EDD to implement this 
            measure.  Of this amount, $700,000 is one-time for system 
            changes to mailing and processing survey data and $200,000 is 
            on-going costs to update and process the surveys on an annual 
            basis.  According to EDD, it has approximately 125,000 
            business accounts that turnover each year.  

          2)Minor, absorbable GF state reimbursable mandated costs to 
            county probation departments to provide each person with the 
            list developed by EDD.  








                                                                  AB 2077
                                                                  Page  2


           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  .  According to the author, "In light of the ongoing 
            economic recession, and the 10.9% unemployment rate in 
            California according to the Employment Development Department, 
            it has become increasingly difficult for Californians to find 
            jobs.  This challenge is even greater for individuals who have 
            had contact with the law.  Unemployment is often two and three 
            times greater among former inmates-amounting to a 
            Depression-era unemployment rate."

            The author further states: "There is currently no law which 
            compels EDD to gather information as to the specific employers 
            that are willing to employ people who have been incarcerated 
            in a state prison or county jail.  There is, however, a survey 
            that employers with whom EDD has contact, fill out which 
            solicits information to help target potential candidates for 
            employment.  This survey however, does not ask whether or not 
            that given employer would be willing to hire an individual who 
            has previously been incarcerated. "  

           2)Postrelease Community Supervision  .  Under the 2011 Postrelease 
            Community Supervision Act, offenders released from state 
            prisons after serving sentences for non-serious, non-violent, 
            non-sexual crimes are placed on PRCS administered by county 
            probation departments. PRCS automatically terminates after one 
            year in the absence of any violations, can be terminated in 
            six months at the discretion of the supervising agency, and 
            terminates automatically after three years. PRCS violators can 
            serve up to180 days in local custody. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081