AB-247 • 2026

Incarcerated individual hand crew members: wages.

Children Crime Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Bryan
Last action: 2025-10-13
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 681, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the dispute resolution process, only that regulations regarding an administrative adjudication and remedy process must be maintained by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and counties.

Wages for Incarcerated Firefighters

AB-247 requires incarcerated individuals and youth placed at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp to be paid $7.25 per hour while working on active fire incidents, in addition to earning credits towards their sentences.

What This Bill Does

Requires incarcerated individual hand crew members to receive an hourly wage of $7.25 during active fire incidents.
Applies the same wage requirement to youth placed at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp who are part of a hand crew.
Specifies that this wage rate will be reviewed annually.

Who It Names or Affects

Incarcerated individuals assigned to hand crews during active fire incidents.
Youth placed at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp who are part of a hand crew.

Terms To Know

Hand Crew: A group of firefighters, including incarcerated individuals and youth, who work together to fight wildfires.
Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp: A facility where justice-involved youth are trained in wildland firefighting skills.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the wage rate is reviewed and changed.
It is unclear how disputes over wages will be handled beyond establishing a process for resolution.

Bill History

2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 681, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-23 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2025-09-11 California Legislative Information
Urgency clause adopted. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 3301.).
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2825.).
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-08-18 California Legislative Information
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
2025-07-08 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-27 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-06-18 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-06-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 2113.)
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
Measure version as amended on May 28 corrected.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 3).
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
Coauthors revised.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Joint Rule 62(a) suspended. (Ayes 55. Noes 6. Page 1871.)
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on APPR. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2.
2025-05-28 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 1756.)
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 2.) (May 23).
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)
2025-04-30 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
2025-03-11 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-11 California Legislative Information
Coauthors revised.
2025-03-06 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-03-05 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-04 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-02-10 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-01-16 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee February 15.
2025-01-15 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 247, Bryan.
Incarcerated individual hand crew members: wages.
Under existing law, a prisoner can reduce their term of imprisonment by earning credit for, among other things, continuous incarceration, good behavior, and participation in approved rehabilitative programming. Existing law makes an inmate of a county jail or state prison who has completed training for assignment to a conservation camp, state or county facility, or a correctional institution as an inmate firefighter, or who is assigned to a state or county facility or a correctional institution as an inmate firefighter, and who is eligible to earn one day of credit for every one day of incarceration, instead eligible to earn 2 days of credit for every one day served in that assignment or after completing that training.
Existing law authorizes a juvenile court to order placement of a ward at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp if specified
criteria are met, including if the county has entered into a contract with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the department has found the ward amenable. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into contracts with counties to operate the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp through a state-local partnership, or other management arrangement, to train justice-involved youth, as specified, in wildland firefighting skills.
This bill would require an incarcerated individual hand crew member, in addition to receiving credits, and a ward or youth hand crew member placed at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp to be paid an hourly wage equal to $7.25 while assigned to an active fire incident. The bill would require that wage rate to be
reviewed annually. The bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and counties to maintain regulations regarding an administrative adjudication and remedy process for any disputes over sums owned pursuant to these provisions.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF