SB237 Summary

• Establishes the "Alabama Education Incentive Time Act" allowing prisoners to earn up to 12 months sentence reduction for successfully completing approved academic, vocational, risk-reducing, or apprenticeship programs.

• Requires the Department of Corrections to adopt rules for administering education incentive time with approval from a task force comprising corrections officials, educators, district attorneys, and other stakeholders; final rules due March 1, 2021.

• Creates a $1,000 annual income tax credit for employers hiring individuals recently released from incarceration who participated in correctional education programs, available for up to four taxable years starting January 1, 2021.

• Prohibits state and local government employers from inquiring about applicants' conviction history until after a conditional job offer is made, except for sensitive governmental positions requiring background checks or bonded positions.

• Requires state and political subdivisions to maintain hiring records and employment data relating to conviction history; authorizes the State Personnel Department to enforce provisions and conduct annual audits of state hiring practices.