Correctional facilities: religious accommodations.
Under existing law, a person sentenced to imprisonment in a state prison or in a county jail for a felony offense, as specified, may during that period of confinement be deprived of only those rights as is reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law enumerates certain civil rights of these prisoners, including the right to purchase, receive, and read newspapers, periodicals, and books accepted for distribution by the United States Post Office.
California SB 309 (20232024) — Correctional facilities: religious accommodations.
Under existing law, a person sentenced to imprisonment in a state prison or in a county jail for a felony offense, as specified, may during that period of confinement be deprived of only those rights as is reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law enumerates certain civil rights of these prisoners, including the right to purchase, receive, and read newspapers, periodicals, and books accepted for distribution by the United States Post Office.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 5–0 (pass) · upper
Unfinished Business SB309 Cortese et al. Concurrence — 39–0 (pass) · upper
Special Consent SB309 Cortese et al. — 40–0 (pass) · upper
Placed on suspense file — 7–0 (pass) · upper
SB 309 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Reyes — 80–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass as amended — 7–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass. — 16–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — 8–0 (pass) · lower
Sponsors
Cortese — primary (person)
Kalra — coauthor (person)
Reyes — principal coauthor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2023-02-06 Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. introduction, reading-1
2023-02-07 From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 9.
2023-02-15 Referred to Com. on PUB S. referral-committee
2023-03-08 Set for hearing April 11.
2023-04-11 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 659.) (April 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee
2023-04-14 Set for hearing April 24.
2023-04-24 April 24 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
2023-05-12 Set for hearing May 18.
2023-05-18 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 1164.) (May 18). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2023-05-18 Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
2023-05-22 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2023-05-26 Ordered to special consent calendar.
2023-05-30 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 1363.) Ordered to the Assembly. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2023-05-31 In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. reading-1
2023-06-08 Referred to Com. on PUB. S. referral-committee
2023-06-28 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 27). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee
2023-08-23 August 23 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
2023-09-01 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (September 1). committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2023-09-05 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2023-09-07 Read third time and amended. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3
2023-09-07 Ordered to third reading.
2023-09-12 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3258.) Ordered to the Senate. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2023-09-12 In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2023-09-13 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2737.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2023-09-20 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
2023-10-07 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2023-10-07 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 388, Statutes of 2023. became-law
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/51b1995e-cdd2-433c-a9c8-e8929028c0fd. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).