Assembly Bill 731 mandates that the Department of Corrections (DOC) and counties provide minimum free telecommunications services to inmates in state prisons and county jails, as well as juveniles in correctional facilities. Specifically, the bill stipulates that each inmate or juvenile must have access to at least 180 minutes of phone calls, 60 minutes of video calls, and 100 text messages per week at no cost to the person initiating or receiving the communication. The bill also emphasizes that these telecommunications services cannot replace in-person visitation and prohibits any charges beyond the established minimums. Additionally, the DOC is required to consolidate contracts for telecommunications services to minimize costs, and counties can join these contracts at no cost.

The bill includes provisions for reporting and accountability, requiring counties that do not join the DOC's contract to submit a report to the legislature explaining their decision and detailing their telecommunications contracts and usage data. The DOC must also report on its contracts and usage annually. The implementation of these telecommunications access requirements will be phased in over 18 months, with appropriations of $4,980,500 for the 2025-26 fiscal year and $14,374,600 for the 2026-27 fiscal year allocated to support these services and reimburse counties. The bill repeals certain existing statutes related to telecommunications services while creating new provisions to ensure access for inmates and juveniles.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 20.410(1)(gt), 20.410, 301.105