(1) Existing law allows the sheriff of each county to operate a store in connection with the county jail to sell confectionary, tobacco, postage and writing materials, and toilet articles to inmates of the jail. Existing law allows the sheriff to fix the sale prices of the articles offered for sale at the store. Existing law requires profits from the store to be deposited in the inmate welfare fund and requires the fund to be used primarily for the benefit, education, and welfare of inmates.
This bill would require the items in the store be offered at the cost paid to the vendor supplying the article. The bill would rename the inmate welfare fund the incarcerated peoples' welfare fund and would require money in the fund to be expended solely for the benefit, education, and welfare of inmates. The bill would require articles offered for sale at the store to only be available for purchase by incarcerated people and not staff of the jail.
(2) Existing law imposes specified procedural and substantive content requirements on contracts entered into by local agencies, including cities and counties.
This bill would require any contract entered into or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide communications or information services to any person detained or sentenced to a jail or juvenile facility to be negotiated and awarded to an entity that meets the jail or juvenile facility's technical, functional, and security requirements for services, and that provides the lowest cost of service to any person who pays for the communications service. The bill would prohibit any contract to provide communications or information services to any person detained or sentenced to a jail or juvenile facility from including any commission or other payment, as defined, to the entity operating the jail or juvenile facility. The bill would further require that telephone rates and other service rates affected by these provisions be reduced in response to the elimination of commission fees.
(3) Existing law, the Local Agency Public Construction Act, regulates contracting by counties and cities, among others, and requires a prospective bidder for a contract to submit specified information.
This bill would require a county sheriff to negotiate and award contracts that provide county jails with communications, information, or commissary services based on providing the best price to the consumer in accordance with specified procedures and requirements. The bill would require a bid for these contracts to include the cost to the consumer. The bill would require a contract for communications, information, or commissary services to include specified provisions, including a provision prohibiting specified fees, a provision relating to renegotiation of the contract by the county sheriff, and provisions relating to consumer refunds. The bill would provide that a contract negotiated under these provisions is not valid until it is found by the county board of supervisors as being in compliance with these requirements. The bill would prohibit the bundling of contracts and would require a separate contract for each distinct good or service provided. The bill would require the sheriff to perform specified testing of the goods and services provided under the contract, and the county board of supervisors to provide a certified copy of each contract to the county controller.
Because this bill would expand the definition of the crime of perjury and would impose additional contracting requirements on local government entities, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Statutes affected:
SB555: 4025 PEN
02/22/19 - Introduced: 4025 PEN
05/17/19 - Amended Senate: 4025 PEN
07/03/19 - Amended Assembly: 4025 PEN