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AB-2499 • 2026

Corrections: prison conditions.

Corrections: prison conditions.

Budget Crime Education Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Gipson
Last action
2026-04-23
Official status
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify if all correctional facilities will be required to install cooling systems and shade structures or only those with high heat exposure.

Prison Safety and Climate Control

AB-2499 requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to improve safety standards for prison workers and establish climate control measures in prisons during extreme weather events.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to create new rules for worker safety in prisons by July 1, 2027.
  • Makes it a crime to violate these new safety rules or orders issued under them.
  • Establishes the Climate Justice in Prisons Emergency Response Act which sets up cooling systems and shade structures at correctional facilities during excessive weather events.
  • Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to set up temperature monitoring programs in at least three different climate zones by July 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Prison workers
  • Inmates in California correctional facilities
  • The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Terms To Know

Occupational Safety and Health Act
A law that sets safety standards for workplaces, including prisons.
Temperature Monitoring Program
A system to track temperatures in prison living areas using digital sensors.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much it will cost or who will pay for the new safety measures and climate control systems.
  • It is unclear if all prisons will be required to install cooling systems and shade structures, only those with high heat exposure.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  2. 2026-04-14 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

  3. 2026-04-13 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.

  4. 2026-03-25 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

  5. 2026-03-25 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  6. 2026-03-09 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on PUB. S. and L. & E.

  7. 2026-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  8. 2026-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 2499, as amended, Gipson.
Corrections: prison conditions.
Under existing law, the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigates complaints that a workplace is not safe and may issue orders necessary to ensure employee safety. Under existing law, certain violations of those provisions or a standard, order, or special order authorized by those provisions are a crime.
Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and sets forth its powers and duties regarding the administration of correctional facilities and the care and custody of inmates. Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to be responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters
and emergencies.
This
bill
bill, Adrienne’s Act,
would require the division, by July 1, 2027, to submit a rulemaking proposal for the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s review and adoption, specifically applicable to workers in any prison or institution under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as specified.
This bill would require the department to comply with these provisions and any order, rule, or regulation adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board pursuant to them. Because this bill would expand the definition of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would also adopt the
Climate Justice in Prisons Emergency Response Act, which would require the department to take various actions at specified times, relating to climate control and working conditions in prisons, including, among other things, establishing and implementing minimum interim relief measures during excessive weather events and establishing a working group consisting of representatives from various entities, including community-based organizations and an incarcerated person advisory council. The bill would require the department, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, to implement a plan to ensure that living quarters, work areas, and recreational spaces at correctional facilities are equipped with specified cooling systems and to install shade structures at facilities that have the greatest exposure to excessive heat. The bill would require the department, by July 1, 2027, to establish a Temperature Monitoring and Data Transparency Pilot Program in at least 3 prisons that represent distinct climate zones.
Under the program, the bill would require the department to collect certain temperature data and provide weekly and quarterly summary data, from digital sensors installed at the prisons, to the Office of the Inspector General, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and the appropriate policy and budget committees of the Legislature, as specified. The bill would require the department to establish a monitoring system that includes data collection and reporting mechanisms in order to carry out the provisions of the act.
This bill would make related findings and declarations.
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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a
specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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