California Assembly Bill AB1019 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1019AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ammiano FEBRUARY 22, 2013 An act to amend Section 2053.4 of  , and to add Section 2053.5 to,  the Penal Code, relating to state prisons. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1019, as amended, Ammiano. State prisons: correctional education and vocational training. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to appoint a Superintendent of Correctional Education to oversee and administer all prison education programs, set long-term and short-term goals for inmate literacy and testing, and establish priorities for prison education.  Existing law also establishes the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board to review the mental health, substance abuse, educational, and employment programs for inmates of state prisons.  This bill would  also  require goals for  vocational   career technical  education to be set by the Superintendent of Correctional Education  , and would establish factors that are required to be taken into account when establishing a career technical education program, including the demand for the skills being trained and the availability of employment in those fields. The bill would require the department to develop standards and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of career technical education programs with review by the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board  . 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.   Given that, as of June 2012, 60.8 percent of state prison inmates have a medium to high need for academic or career technical programs, and it has been shown that career technical education programs are both effective at reducing recidivism and cost effective to the state, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this act that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall, within its existing resources, set both short- and long-term goals for career technical education programs.   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.  Section 2053.4 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 2053.4. The Secretary of the Department 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  vocational   career technical  education programs, and shall establish priorities for prison academic and  vocational   career technical  education programs.  SEC. 3.   Section 2053.5 is added to the   Penal Code   , to read:   2053.5. (a) Based upon the goals and priorities of the department, a career technical education program established, given the department's goals and priorities, shall take into account all of the following factors: (1) Whether the program aligns with the workforce needs of high demand sectors of the state and regional economies. (2) Whether there is an active job market for the skills being developed where the inmate will likely be released. (3) Whether the program increases the number of inmates who obtain a marketable and industry or apprenticeship board recognized certification, credential, or degree. (4) Whether there are formal or informal networks in the field that support finding employment upon release from prison. (5) Whether the program will lead to employment in occupations with a livable wage. (b) Using data to support evidence-based policymaking, the department shall develop standards and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of career technical education programs with review by the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board.