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Committee moves bill to lift county wage cap for incarcerated workers, letting counties set pay
Summary
AB 248 would remove a statutory $2-per-8-hour-shift cap (effectively 25 cents per hour) on wages for incarcerated workers in county jails, allowing counties to set wages. Supporters framed the change as ending an arbitrary, exploitative cap and enabling counties and communities to decide wages; opponents were not recorded at the hearing. The bill
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan presented AB 248 to remove the state-imposed wage ceiling for incarcerated workers in county jails. Under current law, a statutory cap restricts county compensation for incarcerated workers to a maximum of $2 per eight-hour shift (commonly interpreted as 25 cents per hour when the cap is applied), the author said; testimony described the cap as arbitrary and exploitative.
Junius Winters, who worked in Sacramento County jails, described daily work including cleaning and food service and said pay was insufficient to cover basic needs or restitution and that many counties do not pay incarcerated workers at all. Supporters said the bill does not set a new statewide wage but would remove the statutory ceiling so counties and communities can set their own rates.
Supporters testified from reentry and legal-services organizations. No opposition appeared on the record. The committee advanced the bill; the clerk later confirmed that AB 248 moved out of committee (procedural notes recorded in the transcript indicate follow-up on final roll-call procedures).
