California Assembly Bill AB1239 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1239AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 4, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Solorio FEBRUARY 27, 2009 An act to  amend Section 2053.4 of   add Section 2054.3 to  the Penal Code, relating to prisoners. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1239, as amended, Solorio. Prisoners: prison education programs.  Existing law establishes various prison education programs.   This bill would require that funding for those programs be based not on the total prison population, but on the number of prisoners requiring those programs, as determined by assessments, as specified.   Existing law requires the Director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to appoint a Superintendent of Correctional Education to oversee and administer all prison education programs.   This bill would provide, on and after January 1, 2011, that these long- and short-term goals and priorities, and the progress being made toward meeting these goals, shall be reported annually by the Superintendent of Correctional Education to the appropriate subcommittees of the Assembly Committee on Budget and Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review so that the progress towards meeting these goals can be considered and assessed during budget deliberations beginning in 2011.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 2054.3 is added to the   Penal Code   , to read:   2054.3. In order to increase participation and completion rates for academic and vocational education programs, funding for those programs shall not be based upon the total prison population, but upon the number of prisoners requiring those programs, as determined by the assessments performed pursuant to Section 3020.   SECTION 1.   Section 2053.4 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 2053.4. The Director of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall appoint a Superintendent of Correctional Education, who shall oversee and administer all prison education programs. The Superintendent of Correctional Education shall set both short-term and long-term goals for inmate literacy and testing, and shall establish priorities for prison education programs. On and after January 1, 2011, these long- and short-term goals and priorities, and the progress being made toward meeting these goals, shall be reported annually by the Superintendent of Correctional Education to the appropriate subcommittees of the Assembly Committee on Budget and Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review so that the progress towards meeting these goals can be considered and assessed during budget deliberations beginning in 2011.