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| Panel to study prison sentencing removed from spending package |
| By latimes.com |
| Published: 08/25/2009 |
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The action was taken by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. It was unclear whether Senate leader Darrell Steinberg would go along with the limited version. The sentencing review is one of his priorities. Reporting from Sacramento - Assembly Speaker Karen Bass on Monday removed plans to create a commission to reevaluate California's sentencing laws from a package intended to cut spending on state prisons, saying she expected to win approval for the revised proposal later this week. It was unclear whether Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D- Sacramento) -- senators ratified a $525-million package of spending reductions Thursday -- would go along with the Assembly's limited version. The sentencing review is one of Steinberg's priorities, and his house would have to approve the Assembly's changes before the legislation could go to the governor. The Assembly also cut other provisions from the package that would leave a nearly $200-million hole in the state budget. "Whatever product comes out of the Assembly, we want to make sure it improves public safety, reforms the system and saves the same dollar amount as what we sent them," said Alicia Trost, Steinberg's spokeswoman. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who backs the Senate proposal, would have to review the Assembly's plan and its effect on the budget before deciding whether to support it, spokesman Matt David said. The prison proposals need only a majority of lawmakers' votes to pass, but some of the Democrats who control the Assembly have so far been unwilling to support them. Republicans who are the minority in both houses oppose the plans, citing public safety concerns. A month has passed since state leaders approved a budget with $1.2 billion in prison cuts, about half of which needed further legislative approval to start saving money. The hundreds of millions of dollars in savings likely to be lost to the state through lawmakers' delays and changes to the package would have to be made up elsewhere. Read More. |
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