In a closed-door decision, the California Senate Appropriations Committee quietly killed AB 1380, a bipartisan bill that would have created career pathways for incarcerated firefighters who risk their lives battling California’s wildfires.

With just three weeks left in the legislative session and with the state in the middle of another dangerous wildfire season, California legislators stood alongside formerly incarcerated firefighters and advocates to uplift the Firefighting to Freedom legislative package – seven bold bills that invest in the incarcerated firefighters who are essential to California’s wildfire response.

 As California confronts yet another dangerous wildfire season, state lawmakers announced the Firefighting to Freedom legislative package – a bold effort to honor the courage and service of incarcerated firefighters and remove the barriers they face when returning home.

AB 974 will provide California-born individuals leaving a state or local correctional facility with a free copy of their birth certificate upon release.

Michelson Center for Public Policy co-sponsored state Senator Ben Hueso’s bill to ease the pathway to success and reduce recidivism, smooth the parole transfer process, and give formerly incarcerated individuals more opportunities to start a new life.