FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 1136

                         C 234 L 95

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Requiring twenty‑five percent of inmate welfare accounts to be used for victims' compensation.

Sponsors:  Representatives Ballasiotes, Kessler, Campbell, Costa, Padden, Delvin, Hargrove, Basich, Tokuda, Lisk, Dyer, Mastin, Schoesler, Blanton, Sheldon, Lambert, L. Thomas, Backlund, Van Luven, Benton, Buck, Crouse, Chappell, Wolfe, Huff, Mitchell, Hickel, Thompson, Foreman, Sherstad, Chandler, Clements, Patterson, Mulliken, Honeyford, Cooke, Johnson, D. Schmidt, Pennington, Hymes, Kremen, Carrell, Mielke and Sheahan.

House Committee on Corrections

Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections

Background:  The inmate welfare fund consists of inmate-generated funds which are spent for activities that contribute to the betterment of the offender population.  The Department of Corrections' headquarters maintains a portion of these inmate welfare funds in a main account, and each institution also has a separate subaccount for a portion of the funds it collects.   Revenue for the inmate welfare account is derived from profits gained from the inmate store, telephone commissions on collect calls, profits from vending machines, donations, and other miscellaneous proceeds such recycling of aluminum cans, or contraband money.

Some of the activities paid for from the inmate welfare fund include:

1.recreation equipment and supplies;

2.hobby crafts;

3.holiday events (including Christmas gifts to inmates), miscellaneous                refreshments and tournament prizes.  The total expenditures cannot exceed a     maximum of $50 per each inmate per year; 

4.humanities, arts, and performance honorariums;

5.extended family visit program, including cost of state employees salaries          directly related to management of the program and other costs related to the      program;

6.visiting areas;

7.public performance licenses and league fees;

8.inmate-view television systems (i.e. monthly cable fees);

9.offender newsletter;

10.  library supplies;

11.  religious supplies;

12.  inmate store salaries and benefits;

13.  donations to non-profit organizations that provide a direct and identifiable

  benefit to inmates if approved by the department. 

During the 1995-1997 biennium the inmate welfare fund is expected to have a beginning balance of $1,148,739 and a total gross revenue of $3,799,409.  The total expenditures are expected to be $4,571,702 during this period of time while the end fund balance is expected to be $376,446.

The public safety and education account does not receive any funds from the inmate welfare account for crime victims' compensation.

Summary:  The Department of Corrections is required to deposit 25 percent of the total funds collected for inmate welfare accounts into the public safety and education account for the crime victims' compensation program.  Funds transferred to the Department of Labor and Industries for the crime victims' compensation program from the inmate betterment fund must take priority over any expenditure of betterment funds.  The transfer of funds is also required to be reflected on the monthly financial statements of each institution's betterment fund subaccount.  The funds transferred to the crime victims' compensation program are intended to be in addition to the funds appropriated in the budget for this account and are not intended to reduce the level of funding provided by the appropriation.

Technical housekeeping changes are made.

Votes on Final Passage:

House     96 0

Senate    48 0 (Senate amended)

House     90 0 (House concurred)

Effective:  July 23, 1995