Assembly BillIntroducedPenal
AB 2642: Prisons: employment of inmates.
What AB 2642 does, verified February 24, 2026
This bill aims to make technical changes to the law requiring prisoners to work. Currently, able-bodied prisoners in state prisons must work a certain number of hours each day. The proposed changes will update this provision to reflect non-substantive updates. These changes do not alter the underlying requirement for prisoners to work.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From printer. May be heard in committee March 23. (2026-02-21)Alert me
Author and sponsors
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| Feb. 21, 2026 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 23. |
| Feb. 20, 2026 | Read first time. To print. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 20, 2026 · 358 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2642
| Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary |
February 20, 2026 |
An act to amend Section 2700 of the Penal Code, relating to prisons.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2642, as introduced, Elhawary. Prisons: employment of inmates.
Existing law requires every able-bodied prisoner imprisoned in a state prison to work as many hours of faithful labor in each day and every day during their term of imprisonment as prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in departmental rules and regulations.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2700 of the Penal Code is amended to read:2700.
(a) The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall require(b) When any statute requires a price to be fixed for any services to be performed in connection with the work program of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the compensation paid to prisoners shall be included as an item of cost in fixing the final statutory price.
(c) Prisoners not engaged on work programs under the jurisdiction of the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority, but who are engaged in productive labor outside of such programs programs, may be compensated in a like manner. The compensation of the prisoners shall be paid either out of funds appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose or out of such other funds available to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for expenditure, as the Director of Finance may direct.
(d) When a prisoner escapes, the secretary shall determine what portion of the prisoner’s earnings shall be forfeited and the forfeiture shall be deposited in the State Treasury in a fund known as the Inmate Welfare Fund of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Text of AB 2642 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions