Assembly BillVetoedPenal
AB 2593: Corrections: treatment of prisoners.
What AB 2593 does, verified October 5, 2026
This bill aims to protect the health and well-being of incarcerated individuals. It prohibits supervisors, administrators, and employees from interfering with prescribed health care that results in substantial emotional distress or serious bodily injury. Existing laws already require the department of corrections rehabilitation to provide care that prevents harm to an incarcerated person's health, but this bill adds a specific protection against interference with prescribed health care.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
✓Second ChamberComplete
5GovernorCurrent
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Vetoed by Governor. (2026-09-27)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions21 total · showing 5
| Sep. 27, 2026 | Vetoed by Governor. |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6487.). |
| Aug. 24, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
| Aug. 24, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.). |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, August 27, 2026 · 329 words
| Enrolled August 27, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 24, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 25, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate June 25, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2593
| Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary |
February 20, 2026 |
An act to add Section 2654 to the Penal Code, relating to corrections.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2593, Elhawary. Corrections: treatment of prisoners.
Existing law prohibits the Department of Corrections Rehabilitation from allowing any lack of care that would injure or impair the health of an incarcerated person. Existing law prohibits the department from modifying or canceling the medical treatment of an incarcerated person if a physician certifies that the medical treatment is required to prevent certain violations of law or to prevent serious and imminent harm to the health of an incarcerated person, as specified.
This bill would prohibit a supervisor, administrator, or employee of the department from interfering with or refusing to implement prescribed health care, as specified, that results in substantial emotional distress or serious bodily injury, as defined.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2654 is added to the Penal Code, to read:2654.
(a) A supervisor, administrator, or employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall not knowingly countermand, change, interfere with, or refuse to implement health care prescribed or determined to be medically necessary by a licensed health care provider acting within the scope of their licensure that results in substantial emotional distress or serious bodily injury.(b) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Serious bodily injury” means a medically diagnosed serious impairment of physical condition, including, but not limited to, acute or protracted loss or impairment of function of any bodily member or organ.
(2) “Substantial emotional distress” means medically or psychiatrically diagnosed mental or emotional suffering that is acute, chronic, or protracted, or a condition that requires inpatient psychiatric treatment.
Text of AB 2593 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions