FY 1999-2000 CORRECTIONS BUDGET - H.B. 4300 (S-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY

House Bill 4300 (S-1 as reported)

Committee: Appropriations

FY 1998-99 Year-to-Date Gross Appropriation $1,441,935,000
Changes from FY 1998-99 Year-to-Date:
1. Capacity Expansion. Training costs, operating funds, and healthcare costs for newly constructed, expanded, and renovated facilities that increase State prison capacity by 5,465 beds and 1,731.7 FTEs are recommended. 87,448,300
2. Leased Beds. The recommendation includes $100 for out-of-state bed leasing and $16,151,300 for the Youth Correctional Facility with 2.0 FTEs for contract supervision. (25,594,500)
3. Community Facilities. The recommendation includes closing six community corrections facilities, reducing the budget by $6,000,000. The Governor's recommendation eliminated $2,000,000 regional jail program, but the House reinstated $100 of funding. (7,999,900)
4. Administrative Cost Adjustments. Increases for prisoner uniforms of $4,874,700, employee random drug testing of $525,000, leap year adjustment of $3,741,300, tax abatement loss of $250,000, vaccination program of $500,000, mental health programs of $2,073,200, HIV/AIDS treatment of $480,700, and training academy relocation of $1,181,000 are recommended. 13,625,900
5. Community Corrections. The Governor recommended an increase to comprehensive plans and services grant of $553,000. The House and Senate added $1,000,000 in federal funds to this line and increased probation residential providers reimbursement to $43 a day by reallocating funds from mental health care. 1,553,000
6. Prisoner Management Programs. The recommendation includes funds for two programs aimed at reducing the need for high security beds. 1,456,400
7. Economic Adjustments. The recommendation contains a 3% increase in unclassified salaries among other economic adjustments. 53,839,100
8. Other Changes. Changes in substance abuse treatment and testing for caseload increase of $541,400, an increase to two federally funded programs of $212,100, and a caseload driven increase to parole and probation supervision of $625,000 are included in the recommendation. 1,378,500
9. Drug Control Policy. The Senate recommends $1,000,000 for transfer to the Office on Drug Control Policy, MDCH for drug court funding. 1,000,000
10. FY 1998-99 Supplemental. The Senate recommended transfer of $30,807,400 from Leased Beds to a new line item Leased Beds and Alternatives to Leased Beds. 0
11. Comparison to Governor's Recommendation. The Senate substitute exceeds the Governor's recommendation by $2,000,100 in Gross appropriation and $1,000,100 in GF/GP funds.


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Total Changes 126,706,800
FY 1999-2000 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Gross Appropriation $1,568,641,800
FY 1999-2000 CORRECTIONS BUDGET - BOILERPLATE HIGHLIGHTS
Changes from FY 1998-99 Year to Date:
  • Deleted Sections. The recommendation deletes the following: a report on offenders with sentencing guideline scores of 12 months or less, a requirement that correction officer belts be manufactured by prison industries, a requirement limiting the use of weight lifting equipment, a requirement to attach executive summaries to all reports, a ban of mail-in supervision for violent offenders, a requirement to promulgated guidelines for agents serving on community corrections boards, an evaluation of community corrections programs, spending requirements for consent decree programs, a report on clinical restructuring, a ban on color televisions, and a smoking cessation study.
  • Fees in Excess of Appropriation. Emergency services provided to government units was added to the items for which revenues may be collected in excess of appropriation. (Sec. 207)
  • Substance Abuse. The recommendation deletes expenditure requirements for testing and a report on offenders referred to residential treatment (Sec. 219), removes specific dollar spending and implementation language on substance abuse pilot programs (Sec. 220, 221, and 222), requires field agents performing instant drug tests to be trained in universal precautions (Sec. 222), and provides for a transfer to the Office of Drug Policy for the establishment of drug courts. (Sec. 230)
  • Diversity and Sensitivity Training. The Governor recommended deleting the training requirement. The House reinstated, but removed the number of programs and date of completion. The Senate included language requiring two programs to be completed by March 31, 2000 . (Sec. 224)
  • Prison Population Projection. The report date for prison population projections was changed from December to February. (Sec. 303)
  • Internal Audit Report and Internet Access. The House added a report on internal accounting, the Senate included more detail (Sec. 310) and added public Internet access to departmental reports. (Sec. 311)
  • Prison Industries. The Senate included language that encourages the department to expand prison industries by seeking strategic partnerships with private industry (Sec. 401).
  • Caseload Audit. The Senate included a caseload audit of field agents and a report to the legislature on the results of the audit. (Sec. 503)
  • County Jail Reimbursement Program. The Governor deleted, and the House included language stating a purpose and establishing criteria for reimbursement. The Senate included other offender characteristics in the basis for some reimbursement criteria that are yet to be established and clarified the reporting requirements for the study of the impact of the sentencing guidelines. (Sec. 808)
  • Managed Care Contract. The Governor and the House deleted an auditor general report. The Senate reinstate current year language. (Sec. 1004)
  • Academic/Vocational Programs. The House added an allocation to the Bureau of Apprenticeship and allowed a report on prisoners in the programs. The Senate allowed the allocation and required the report. (Sec. 1104)
    • Prisoner Visitation. The House restricted participation by prisoners convicted of criminal sexual conduct. The Senate modified the ban to CSC offenders where the victim was under 18 years old and those convicted of child abuse. (Sec. 1108)
    • Prisoner Litigation. The Senate required a report on prisoner suits against departmental employees. (Sec. 1117)
    14. Project RESTART and Project CHANGE. The Senate required a report on cognitive changes, recidivism, and changes in security level of prisoners involved in these programs.
    15. Supplemental. The Senate allowed excess funds transferred from Leased Beds to Leased Beds and Alternatives to Leased Beds to be transferred to a work project at year-end to pay for prisoner costs in leased beds, double bunking St. Louis Correctional Facility, and day room beds. (Sec. 1501)

    Date Completed: 4-5-99 - Fiscal Analyst: Karen Firestone