BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2655
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2655 (Swanson)
As Amended March 29, 2012
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Block, Olsen, Achadjian, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Brownley, Fong, Galgiani, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Lara, Miller, Portantino | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| | | |Ammiano, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Solorio, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Allows California Community Colleges (CCC) to receive
full funding for courses offered in correctional institutions.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Waives open course provisions for CCC courses offered in state
correctional facilities.
2)Provides that attendance hours generated by CCC credit
instruction in state, city, county or federal correctional
facilities shall be funded at the credit rate, hours generated
by non-credit instruction be funded at the non-credit rate,
and hours generated by instruction in career development and
college preparation funded at the established rate.
3)Prohibits CCC from receiving state funding for attendance
hours generated in any inmate education class for which the
CCC receives full compensation from another agency or private
source, and requires the offset of state aid for partial
compensation received from any such source.
4)Prohibits use of state funding for CCC inmate education to
supplant costs incurred by the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
AB 2655
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1)Ongoing moderate General Fund (GF) (Proposition 98) cost
pressure for converting qualified existing courses to the full
credit rate at local and federal institutions.
2)Additional costs would depend on the number of Full Time
Equivalent students (FTEs) taking classes in state
correctional facilities and thus eligible for apportionment
funding under this bill. For every 100 for-credit FTEs,
annual GF (Proposition 98) costs would increase by $456,000.
3)To the extent this bill leads to increased education
programming for inmates, the state and local governments could
realize unquantifiable savings associated with decreased
recidivism.
COMMENTS : The author contends that existing law creates
disincentives for CCCs to offer credit courses and career
development courses in state prisons by not reimbursing them at
the rate appropriate for the type of course offered and that
research shows that inmates receiving educational opportunities
are much less likely to recidivate, saving the state millions of
dollars per year.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR) is funded to provide inmate education in state
correctional facilities. As a result of an unallocated cut to
the CDCR's budget for 2009-10, the department implemented a $250
million reduction in rehabilitative programs, including
academic, vocational, substance abuse and other programs for
inmates and parolees. A one-time reduction of $101 million was
included as part of the 2011-12 Budget.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0003899