H.B. 5620 (H-2): COMMITTEE SUMMARY ELECTRICAL FEE FOR PRISONERS
House Bill 5620 (Substitute H-2 as passed by the House) Sponsor: Representative James Ryan
House Committee: Public Utilities Senate Committee: Judiciary
Date Completed: 11-25-96
The bill would amend the prison code to require that a prisoner pay an electrical usage fee to the Department of Corrections (DOC) if the prisoner used in his or her personal housing area any personal property item that required the use of electricity. The fee would have to be at a rate equivalent to $3 per month, regardless of the number of days of electrical usage, and be collected from the prisoner’s institutional account annually or at other intervals determined by the DOC. The DOC could retain up to 15% of the total fees collected annually under the bill to pay for the cost of operation.
Proposed MCL 800.43 Legislative Analyst: P. Affholter
The bill would increase revenue for State government. There are no data currently available on the number of prisoners who have personal property items that require the use of electricity. If one assumes that under the bill, half of the current 40,000 prisoners would choose to use personal electrical items and pay the $3 per month electric fee, annual revenue could approach $720,000, of which the Department could retain 15%, or in this example, $108,000. Actual collections would depend on the number of prisoners willing to pay for continued use of electricity for their personal property items.
Fiscal Analyst: M. Hansen
S9596\S5620SA
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
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