Senate Bill 1304’s proposed Release Allowance cut by half — to $1,300 if bill becomes law
Efforts to increase the amount of “gate money” allotted to prisoners upon their release have been resurrected after being placed in a legislative Suspension File.
Senate Bill 1304, authored by Sydney Kamlager, sought to increase the amount of gate money from $200 to $2,589. That effort failed and the bill went into the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File.
The Suspense File is a place where bills go to die. But instead, this bill was revived when Sen. Kamlager reduced the amount sought to $1,300. On May 19, 2022, the Senate voted to move the bill forward.
“If your intent is to provide effective reentry, you have to give prisoners the tools and resources they need to reenter society,” said SQ resident Deandre Brumfield.
SB 1304 seeks to amend section 2713.1 of the Penal Code to provide a sum sufficient for a month’s needs based on two reliable sources on the cost of living: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology living wage calculator and the federal government data for average monthly expenses for a single adult with no children in 2021. The bill also calls for the amount to be adjusted annually based on the inflation rate.
This bill would result in the first gate money increase in almost 50 years.
Kamlager, who represents a Los Angeles district, said her legislation makes good sense for the state.
“People often enter prison impoverished and are being thrown into poverty upon release,” Kamlager told the Guardian. The system “perpetuates a fall deeper into desperation for folks who have just been released.”
At a time when the cost of living is historically high, people leaving prison after decades will face tough challenges finding adequate assistance because of their criminal records. The cost of food, housing, transportation, and maintaining their health can quickly turn into a serious situation. Raising the amount of gate money, many lawmakers and prisoner advocates say, is consistent with what is needed to help protect public safety.
“I think that something needs to happen. You need something to start with,” said SQ resident Brumfield. “Having just enough money to get to transitional housing to have a roof over your head isn’t enough.