20250AB__061999INT INTRODUCED 2025-02-13 2025 AB INT Introduced by Assembly Member Ransom LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom

An act to add and repeal

Section of the Public Resources Code, relating to resource conservation, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. resource conservation, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately California Conservation Corps: training programs: formerly incarcerated individuals: reporting. Existing law establishes the California Conservation Corps in the Natural Resources Agency and requires the corps to implement and administer the conservation corps program.

Existing law authorizes the Director of the California Conservation Corps to establish various training and educational program, including, among others, the Education and Employment Reentry Program, within the corps, to provide education and training to formerly incarcerated individuals who successfully served on a California Conservation Camp program crew.

This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to jointly evaluate the Ventura Training Center and would require the evaluation to include specified components, including, among others, an evaluation of ways to increase the rate of graduated trainees entering the firefighter workforce. The bill would require the departments to submit a report describing the evaluation to certain legislative committees by January 1, 2026, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. TWO_THIRDS NO YES NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section is added to the Public Resources Code , to read: 14426. (

a) The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall jointly evaluate the Ventura Training Center. The evaluation shall include, but shall not be limited to, an evaluation of all of the following:

(1) How to streamline the enrollment of formerly incarcerated individuals into the program after their successful participation in the California Conservation Camp program.

(2) Ways to increase the rate of graduated trainees entering the firefighter workforce.

(3) The feasibility of establishing one or more centers in other regions of the state. (b)

(1) The departments shall prepare a report describing the evaluation conducted pursuant to subdivision (

a) and submit the report, by January 1, 2026, to the Senate Committee on Public Safety, the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, the Senate Committee on Organization, and the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management. (2) (

A) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with

Section of the Government Code. (

B) Pursuant to

Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this

section is repealed on January 1, 2030.

SEC. 2. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of

Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order to address the shortage of firefighters occurring while there is an increasing number of catastrophic fires in California, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.