HOUSE BILL REPORT

HCR 4412

As Reported by House Committee On:

Capital Budget

Brief Description:  Establishing a joint select committee on local jail facilities.

Sponsors:  Representatives Alexander and Murray.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Capital Budget:  3/5/01, 3/8/01 [DP].

  Brief Summary of Bill

$Creates a 12 member joint select committee to review local jail facility needs and funding alternatives and report its findings and recommendations to the 2002 Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CAPITAL BUDGET

Majority Report:  Do pass. Signed by 18 members: Representatives Alexander, Republican Co‑Chair; Murray, Democratic Co‑Chair; Armstrong, Republican Vice Chair; Esser, Republican Vice Chair; McIntire, Democratic Vice Chair; Barlean, Bush, Casada, Hankins, Hunt, Lantz, O'Brien, Ogden, Poulsen, Reardon, Schoesler, Veloria and Woods.

Staff:  Susan Howson (786‑7142).

Background:

The Legislature has provided financial assistance to local governments in the past to build or renovate jails.  Examples of this assistance include a 1983 program funded by $144 million in state bonds and a $3 million state bond appropriation for the Yakima jail in 1991.  Since 1998, the Legislature has appropriated an additional $4.1 million to the Department of Corrections (DOC) for a local government competitive grant program funded from federal Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth-in-Sentencing grant moneys.  The DOC administers these funds to local governments for the purpose of constructing, developing, expanding, modifying or improving local jails and other local correctional facilities to increase bed capacity.

Summary of  Bill:

A joint House and Senate committee on local jail facilities is appointed to review alternatives to address capacity needs through local and regional jails, review funding options to address construction of new facilities and modernization of outdated and decaying jails, and review funding options for the cost of operating jail facilities.

The joint committee consists of six members from the House of Representatives and six members from the Senate, including two members each from the House Capital Budget Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and House Local Government Committee, four members from the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and two members from the Senate State and Local Government Committee.  The committee must report its findings and recommendations to the 2002 Legislature.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Testimony For:  The state of Washington needs to take a conscientious look at putting together a jail expansion/renovation program both from the capital and operating perspective to help local governments.  It is important to involve members from both fiscal and policy committees.  In 20 years, we should be able to look back and be proud of the effort the state has put into our criminal justice and jail management issues at both the state and local levels.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  (In support) Representative Gary Alexander, prime sponsor.