SACRAMENTO - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have lifted the lifetime ban on the public assistance CalWORKS program for individuals recovering from substance abuse.

Assembly Member Karen Bass authored AB 855 and issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s veto:

“I was hopeful the Governor would have signed the Bill because last year he signed a similar bill that allowed people with drug convictions who were clean and sober to have access to food stamps. AB 855 simply allowed this same population to receive additional existing CalWORKS services including job counseling, cash assistance and child care. Like last years legislation signed by the Governor, AB 855 only would have affected individuals convicted of drug possession not sales. With this veto the Governor is continuing to punish formerly incarcerated people, especially women with children who are trying to pull their lives back together despite the various other challenges.

“The Governor missed an opportunity to help people who are struggling with drug addiction. By signing AB 855 the Governor could have eliminated obstacles to drug free living and decreased the likelihood of re-offending behavior. The Governor’s veto message indicated that he is, ‘concerned that not enough time has passed to determine whether providing food stamps,’ improves the lives of those struggling with drugs and that AB 855 is ‘premature’. So instead, he chooses a wait-and-see tactic. His inaction undermines efforts to decrease the recidivism rate and could ultimately send people back into our deplorable prison system.

“Finally, The Little Hoover Commission estimated that AB 855 would have saved California more than $700,000 annually due to lower parole returns and re-arrests. This was a bill doing the right thing and the Legislature recognized and approved it, unfortunately Governor Schwarzenegger did not have the same astuteness toward assisting those in need.”

KAREN BASS
Member of the Assembly
47th District