Bill Commons

CA SB 551

enacted

Corrections and rehabilitation: state policy.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did CA SB 551 pass?

Yes. CA SB 551 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-01. Latest recorded action (2025-10-01): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 225, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA SB 551 about?

Under existing law, the Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of sentencing is public safety achieved through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice, and that programs should be available for incarcerated persons, including educational, rehabilitative, and restorative justice programs that are designed to promote behavioral change and to prepare all incarcerated persons for successful reentry into the community. Existing law directs the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to maintain a mission statement consistent with these principles. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to corrections and rehabilitation, including, among others, that the Legislature recognizes that life in prison can never be the same as life in a free society, and that active steps should be taken to make conditions in prison as close to normal life as possible, aside from loss of liberty, to ensure that this normalization does not lead to inhumane prison conditions. The bill would direct the department to maintain a mission statement consistent with the principles of normalization and dynamic security, and would require the department to facilitate access for community-based programs. Existing law provides that the primary objective of adult incarceration is to facilitate the successful reintegration of the individuals in the department's care back to their communities equipped with the tools to be drug-free, healthy, and employable members of society by providing education, treatment, and rehabilitative and restorative justice programs in a safe and humane environment. This bill would include that the primary objective of adult incarceration is to promote personal growth for all residents in the department's care. The bill would also provide that the department should develop training for all correctional staff on the principles of normalization and dynamic security in order to meaningfully effectuate these principles.

Who sponsors CA SB 551?

Cortese is the primary sponsor of CA SB 551, joined by 4 cosponsors.

Description

Under existing law, the Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of sentencing is public safety achieved through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice, and that programs should be available for incarcerated persons, including educational, rehabilitative, and restorative justice programs that are designed to promote behavioral change and to prepare all incarcerated persons for successful reentry into the community. Existing law directs the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to maintain a mission statement consistent with these principles. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to corrections and rehabilitation, including, among others, that the Legislature recognizes that life in prison can never be the same as life in a free society, and that active steps should be taken to make conditions in prison as close to normal life as possible, aside from loss of liberty, to ensure that this normalization does not lead to inhumane prison conditions. The bill would direct the department to maintain a mission statement consistent with the principles of normalization and dynamic security, and would require the department to facilitate access for community-based programs. Existing law provides that the primary objective of adult incarceration is to facilitate the successful reintegration of the individuals in the department's care back to their communities equipped with the tools to be drug-free, healthy, and employable members of society by providing education, treatment, and rehabilitative and restorative justice programs in a safe and humane environment. This bill would include that the primary objective of adult incarceration is to promote personal growth for all residents in the department's care. The bill would also provide that the department should develop training for all correctional staff on the principles of normalization and dynamic security in order to meaningfully effectuate these principles.

Introduced
2025-02-20
Latest action
2025-10-01 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 225, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Corteseauthor
  • Beckercoauthor
  • Umbergcoauthor
  • Weber Piersoncoauthor
  • Schultzcoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-20

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

    introduction,reading-1,referral-committee

  2. 2025-02-21

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.

  3. 2025-03-05

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-24

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  5. 2025-04-02

    Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-09

    Set for hearing April 22.

  7. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 841.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  8. 2025-04-25

    Set for hearing May 5.

  9. 2025-05-05

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  10. 2025-05-06

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  11. 2025-05-28

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1293.) Ordered to the Assembly.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  12. 2025-05-28

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

    reading-1

  13. 2025-06-05

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  14. 2025-06-10

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  15. 2025-06-17

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 2.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  16. 2025-06-17

    Coauthors revised.

  17. 2025-07-16

    July 16 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  18. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  19. 2025-09-02

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  20. 2025-09-03

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 57. Noes 20. Page 2868.) Ordered to the Senate.

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  21. 2025-09-03

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  22. 2025-09-09

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 9. Page 2706.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  23. 2025-09-17

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  24. 2025-10-01

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  25. 2025-10-01

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 225, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
  • 03/24/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-03-24Compare
  • 06/10/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-06-10Compare
  • 09/12/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-12Compare
  • 10/01/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-01Compare
  • SB551Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-04-22 · pass · 5-1

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Seyarto: no

  • 3rd Reading SB551 Cortese et al.

    2025-05-28 · pass · 28-10

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Becker: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: no
    • Grove: no
    • Ochoa Bogh: no
    • Dahle: no
    • Niello: no
    • Strickland: no
    • Choi: no
    • Seyarto: no
    • Valladares: no
    • Jones: no
    • Limón: other
    • Reyes: other
    • McNerney: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Laird: yes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-06-17 · pass · 7-2

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Schultz: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Lackey: no
    • Alanis: no

  • Do pass.

    2025-08-29 · pass · 11-4

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Sanchez: no
    • Ta: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Dixon: no

  • SB 551 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Schultz

    2025-09-03 · pass · 57-20

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Zbur: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Hadwick: no
    • Ahrens: no
    • Dixon: no
    • Flora: no
    • Gallagher: no
    • Jeff Gonzalez: no
    • Wallis: no
    • Sanchez: no
    • Macedo: no
    • Patterson: no
    • Ellis: no
    • Davies: no
    • DeMaio: no
    • Ta: no
    • Hoover: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Castillo: no
    • Lackey: no
    • Alanis: no
    • Chen: no
    • Valencia: other
    • Bains: other

  • Unfinished Business SB551 Cortese et al. Concurrence

    2025-09-09 · pass · 30-9

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Niello: no
    • Ochoa Bogh: no
    • Dahle: no
    • Grove: no
    • Jones: no
    • Seyarto: no
    • Strickland: no
    • Choi: no
    • Alvarado-Gil: no
    • Valladares: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB551

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

Use this data

Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=CA&identifier=SB 551. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.

Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.
  • Some documents have no extracted text yet, so version comparison may be limited.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.