AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 5, 2017

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 22, 2017

AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 26, 2017

AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 27, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

92

CHAPTER 599

Statutes of 2017

[ Approved by Governor October 8, 2017. Filed with Secretary of State October 8, 2017. ]

Introduced by Senator Newman

(Coauthor: Senator Atkins)

February 17, 2017

An act to add Section 715 to the Military and Veterans Code, and to add Section 2066 to the Penal Code, relating to corrections.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and charges it with certain duties and powers, including, among others, the operation of state prisons. Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans.

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide one employee for every 5 state prisons, who is trained and accredited by the department, to assist incarcerated veterans in applying for and receiving any federal or other veterans’ benefits for which they or their families may be eligible. The bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to give the Department of Veterans Affairs’ employees access to the hardware, software, and those computer networks as are reasonably necessary to perform their duties while at the prison, while taking all necessary safety precautions. The bill would also require the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to cooperate and collaborate to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs’ employees have the greatest access and effectiveness practicable, while taking all necessary safety precautions, in order to assist veterans incarcerated within the state prisons.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 715 is added to the Military and Veterans Code, to read:

715.

(a) The department shall provide one employee, trained and accredited by the department, for every five state prisons to assist incarcerated veterans in applying for and receiving any federal or other veterans’ benefits for which the veterans or their families may be eligible.

(b) The department shall cooperate and collaborate with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to ensure that department employees have the greatest access and effectiveness practicable, while taking all necessary safety precautions, in order to assist veterans incarcerated within the state prisons.

SEC. 2.

Section 2066 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

2066.

(a) Pursuant to Section 715 of the Military and Veterans Code, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall provide one employee, trained and accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, for every five state prisons to assist incarcerated veterans in applying for and receiving any federal or other veterans’ benefits for which they or their families may be eligible.

(b) The department shall give a Department of Veterans Affairs’ employee described in subdivision (a) access to the hardware, software, and those computer networks as are reasonably necessary to perform his or her duties while at the prison, while taking all necessary safety precautions.

(c) The department shall cooperate and collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that a Department of Veterans Affairs’ employee described in subdivision (a) has the greatest access and effectiveness practicable, while taking all necessary safety precautions, in order to assist veterans incarcerated within the state prisons.