CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 803
Introduced by Assembly Member Gipson

February 20, 2019

An act to add Section 5020 to the Penal Code, relating to public safety.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 803, as introduced, Gipson. Peer Support Labor Management Committee.
Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and charges it with certain duties and powers, including, among other things, the operation of prisons and other specified institutions.
This bill would require the department to establish a Peer Support Labor Management Committee tasked with crafting and updating a standardized statewide policy for the department’s peer support program. The bill would require the committee to be composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer and the employees, and would require the members of the committee to be selected and hold their first meeting on or before July 1, 2020. The bill would require the policy to address, among other things, the selection process and training for peer support team members, and guidelines for the types of communication that would remain confidential within the peer support program. The bill would require the department to submit an annual report to the Legislature that contains data pertaining to the utilization rates of the peer support program statewide.
Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 5020 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
5020. (a) The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall establish a Peer Support Labor Management Committee tasked with crafting and updating a standardized statewide policy for the department’s peer support program.
(b) The committee shall be composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer and the employees. The members of the committee who are employees shall be appointed by the employee organization that represents the majority of the participants in the peer support program.
(c) The policy shall address, at minimum, the selection process for peer support team members, training of peer support team members, as approved by the Commission on Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training, and guidelines for the types of communication that will remain confidential within the peer support program.
(d) A copy of the policy shall be accessible to members of the public upon request.
(e) Members of the committee shall be selected and hold their first meeting on or before July 1, 2020. The committee shall hold at least quarterly meetings until the initial policy is finalized and thereafter, the committee shall meet at least annually to assess and update the policy as needed.
(f) The department shall submit an annual report to the Legislature that contains data pertaining to the utilization rates of the peer support program statewide. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.