Bill to ease taxpayer costs for housing prisoners heads to governor
BY MARK LELAND, FOX 11 INVESTIGATES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH 2016
MADISON — A bill prompted by a FOX 11 Investigates report is heading to Gov. Scott Walker's desk after the Senate unanimously approved it Tuesday. The measure would give counties more money for housing state prisoners, saving local taxpayers money.
State prisoners on probation and parole often end up being held in county jails. The state is legally obligated to pay $40 a day to the counties for each prisoner.
FOX 11 Investigates' Mark Leland revealed a year ago the state routinely comes up short. Infact from 2005 through 2014 the payment shortfall to just Brown County totaled more than $1.2 million.
State Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, and others have worked to address the problem, authoring a bill to get all 72 counties their full $40 a day rate for each state prisoner being housed in county jails.
Assembly Bill 522 aims to generate additional money for the DOC by charging each person on probation, parole or extended supervision a $3 monthly fee. It affects some 68,000 individuals. If they all paid it would generate nearly $2.5 million, although the DOC confirms many don't or can't pay.
The Assembly passed the bill earlier this month.