MONTGOMERY — The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee has given favorable reports to House Bills 4, 5 and 6, relating to the construction of new prison facilities and supplemental appropriations to fund construction and infrastructure improvements.
The committee, led by chairman State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), has taken the state one step closer to resolving its longstanding issues regarding its embattled prison system.
House Bill 4, relating to new prison construction, passed the committee with a technical amendment from Albritton. State Sen. Billy Beasley (D-Clayton) expressed concerns dealing with the size of the prisons to be constructed, specifically in Elmore County, which will be the largest among the facilities being discussed.
Beasley offered an amendment to reduce facility capacity to no larger than 3,000 inmates, citing security concerns among staff, correctional officers and inmates. Albritton maintained that the issue of capacity was debated and a consensus was met that 4,000 would be a reasonable amount of inmates to be held at the facility. He further stated that he hesitated to alter that number given the agreement that has already been determined. The amendment was tabled.
Beasley offered a second amendment concerning renovations to be made at additional facilities, specifically prisons that are in his district, which consists of Bullock and Barbour Counties. Albritton contended that the current layout of the bill allows the body to assesses the renovations that need to be made at existing facilities.
State Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham) empathized with Beasley’s concerns but insisted that the women’s prison in Tutwiler needed improvements as well, citing the need for investment in what she sees as economically deprived areas. Beasley’s amendment failed to be approved by the committee.
Once more, Beasley offered a third amendment relating to the state providing financial support to localities which have invested funds toward supporting utilities at prisons in their cities. His amendment would have assisted municipalities with the debt they hold in providing financial support toward prison utility investments. While Albritton stated that he was empathetic to the effort, he moved to table the amendment. It also failed to pass the committee.
After discussions, House Bill 4 received a favorable report from the committee.
The committee then took up debate on House Bill 5, which provides for supplemental appropriations from money received from the federally-enacted American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, totaling $400 million. The money may be used to offset lost revenue stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coleman-Madison expressed concerns about using COVID-19 funds toward prisons, citing the need to support hospitals and other health care providers which have financially suffered from the pandemic.
While agreeing with her assessment of the financial situation the medical industry finds itself in, Albritton stressed the importance of dealing with the issue at hand, which is resolving the state’s prison woes. Coleman-Madison agreed in part with the committee chairman and stated that she understood the need to appropriate funds toward prison infrastructure.
House Bill 5 inevitably advanced the committee, with Coleman-Madison voting to deny its passage.
Lastly, the committee then considered House Bill 6, which provides for additional supplemental appropriations for $135 million to be applied to the initial stages of prison construction. The committee agreed to give the bill a favorable report with no debate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday afternoon will consider House Bill 2, which relates to certain criminal justice reform measures.
Yellowhammer News will provide updates throughout the committee meeting process as the legislature’s upper chamber seeks to take up debate on Gov. Kay Ivey’s (R-AL) prison plan.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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