Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriations

Yeah. Yeah, just- Oh, just to- Yeah, that's fine. Okay. Am I good? Am I on? Are we hot? Are we live mic? Can you guys hear me? Am I making stuff up? Can you guys hear me? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Great. Okay. Wow. I haven't- I haven't presided in one of these rooms in a long time. Good morning.

Welcome to the June 3rd, 2025 Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing. We have one bill to consider this morning as part of our regular order hearing.

We encourage the public to provide written testimony before the hearing by visiting the committee website @apro.assembly.ca.gov, please note that any written testimony submitted to the committee is considered public comment and may be read into the record or reprinted. The hearing room is open for attendance. All are encouraged to watch the hearing from its live stream.

Make sure you follow the rules for public attendance and participation. If you don't, we have the right to remove you. With that, we'd like to establish quorum.

[roll call] We have a quorum.

Great. Thank you. With that, Mr. Bryan, would you like to present AB 247?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I've brought no witnesses with me. AB 247 is a bill that will ensure incarcerated hand crew members who are actively fighting wildfires receive fair compensation for their essential role in protecting communities. Essentially, it ensures that nobody fighting a wildfire gets paid less than the federal minimum wage.

It also has some clarifying amendments that brought it back to Committee. Recently, we recognized the Pine Grove Conservation Camp on the Assembly Floor. There were concerns that without being enumerated specifically, that they would be left out of the Bill. And so, we wanted to clearly put them in the Bill.

We also made some slight amendments to the authorship, adding Assembly Members Addis, Alanis, Bonta, Connolly, Elhawary, Fong, Harabedian, Jackson, Lee, McKinnor, Lowenthal, Celeste Rodriguez, Rogers, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, and minority floor leader Heath Flora, as a principal co-author. Respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote.

Great. Thank you. And no primary witnesses in support? Any additional folks in the room wish to express support? Any witnesses in opposition? Any me toos in opposition? Okay. It's a lively debate over here. We've got a motion and a second. Would you like to close, Mr. Bryan? Oh, sorry. Yes, Ms. Dixon.

First of all, I'm very supportive conceptually of inmates working on the fire lines. I think that's very heroic. And no questions. I just—because of the amendments to the Bill, I just need some clarification. So, how do we know how much it's going to cost? I mean, with the cost annually, it's going to be annually adjusted.

On what basis? Cost of living or what? It's not in the Bill.

Yeah, how it will be adjusted annually is something we still want to continue conversations, going into the second House.

Okay.

But we've reduced it significantly. The first appropriations analysis had this Bill at $19 an hour, which would match people who are not incarcerated who are fighting wildfires and had it listed in the millions to tens of millions.

We've reduced that from $19 an hour to the federal minimum wage, saving the state significant resources while still ensuring that there's some dignity and a resemblance of fair pay in the process.

Well, I just want to say, one of my staff member's father is a retired firefighter and I learned from him, the father, that these inmates who fight fires are very important and is contributing to the process and valued heroism. I just, I'm only going to lay off today.

I'm conceptually supportive, as I said, but because until we resolve these amendments, I don't know. But I think it's a good Bill.

I thought you were coming as a co-author.

I may be there.

Do we have any other questions from Members? Mr. Tangipa.

Yeah, I just wanted to ask, do you have any fears that with the deficits by some of our local municipalities in our state agency that this will actually lead to less opportunities because you can't pay those inmates to do the necessary work or even earn those credits?

Not at all. No fears whatsoever.

Okay. Well, I think, I think again, moving.

Also, the burden is not on municipalities at all. It's a state-absorbed cost that goes through CAL FIRE. They get a one—they get a $1 bonus right now, when they're actively fighting a wildfire. This only raises their actively fighting a wildfire pay. We expect these resources to go from the state to CAL FIRE.

But that $1 bonus goes from $2 to about $3.25. And this goes to $7.25, right?

They're definitely not making $3.25 an hour. In some cases, it's $5 to $10 for an entire day. A full shift, 24-hour shifts, I might add. And fighting the Eaton Fire, which lasted over a month of incarcerated hand crews on the fire lines, I think the state is saving significant money.

Because we're using slave labor and we should depart from that and at least pay folks the federal minimum wage who are fighting to save people's lives, homes, and communities.

But I have a different thought on that because I have a family member of mine that helped raise me that, you know, unfortunately, they fell into this world and this—I just want to make sure that the opportunity is there because this actually helped this individual, one, get into wood making, two, get into now construction work.

There's some issues that we're working through the family with right now, but it's just my fear that because of the pay raise, that the opportunity will be lost because we have to shrink the program due to, I mean, our constrained budget. And so, I completely understand the approach, and then, I'm just going to lay off on it.

It's just I hope that more people have the opportunity to get there and have these opportunities and remain the door open.

If we have to pay people slave labor—if we have to provide slave wages—in order for an industry to keep functioning, I think we have other problems in the way we've socially constructed some of our work. Unfortunately, for many reasons, and you know this well, wildfire fighting will not end in this state.

And these hand crews are essential, foundational to that work. And if you are not having them do this work, you are having Cal firefighters do this work at significantly higher pay and benefits and retirement and all things that I think all workers should deserve.

If we're being honest, your concerns would only arise if there was parity between what incarcerated hand crews are paid and Cal firefighters, and I think that's also a worthy discussion, but this Bill doesn't strike that parody, unfortunately.

It just provides Federal minimum wage, a wage that hasn't been raised in well over a decade but is still meaningful to folks who are on the inside currently making $5 to $10 a day.

Well, I think it just. I look at it differently than slave labor. I look at it as an opportunity to change your life and to shift. And so, I just—I'm hopeful that that opportunity can stay, especially with the financial burdens that this state is facing. Thank you.

Yeah, the folks who are incarcerated on those front lines see it as slave labor, and that's who I'm listening to in this one.

Thank you. Mr. Solache.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To the author, you know, I'm a little concerned that you read all your coauthors and I was not listed on that coauthor, so I would gladly be added to a coauthor on this Bill.

I think, you know, having the recent Fires in our backyard and visiting the sites and seeing all the, all the men out there and women, you know, fighting these fires and specifically, those that are incarcerated. I think it brings light to the, to the issue, and I'm just happy to support this Bill. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Ms. Pellerin.

I like this Bill so much that I'd like to be added as a coauthor as well. I was getting FOMO here myself, so.

Absolutely.

Ms. Pacheco.

Thank you. And I apologize—I don't know if this question was answered. I accidentally went to the wrong room. I went on automatic. So, I, I commend you for bringing this Bill forward. You know, being a wildland firefighter is hard work. My brother used to be a wildland firefighter in Washington state.

And it's, it's really tough from what he's told me. But I did notice that their—the—rates would be increased annually, but it doesn't say who will determine that, how will it be raised, and maybe those are some of the amendments that are being worked out? Is that correct?

We're definitely still in conversations to see what makes the most amount of sense.

But I think this is a great bill and I am supporting it. So, thank you.

Any other questions from Committee Members or comments? No? Okay. Would you like to close?

I just respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote.

Great. Thank you for coming this morning, Mr. Bryan. We brought the Bill back because amendments post appropriates added additional costs. We just want to make sure we analyze that, for the, for process sake, and also obviously encourage Members if they're making amendments after appropriates that add additional cost to work with our team on those.

So, I appreciate you coming here this morning so we can rehear the Bill. With that, I'm happy to support the Bill today. We have a motion, a second. We'll actually do a roll call vote because it's only one Bill. So, we'll do it the old-fashioned way. And I have an "Aye" reco.

[Roll Call]

Nine to zero. That Bill is out. And we will—I don't think I'm going to hold the roll open, right? Let's see.

Well, and we're gonna adjourn.