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Subcommittee backs bill to regulate prison canteen pricing if facilities opt in
Summary
House Bill 3,929 would allow the Department of Corrections to regulate pricing at prison canteens if a facility opts to operate one; the subcommittee voted 5-0 to report the bill favorably.
House Bill 3,929 would establish statutory provisions governing how the Department of Corrections manages prison canteens and the pricing of items sold there, but it does not require a facility to operate a canteen.
Representative John King, the bill sponsor, told the Domestic Relations Business and Probate Law Subcommittee he introduced the bill because of concerns from families of incarcerated people about high prices in canteens. "I've had family members of people who are in jail ... they were just saying how much money they have to spend," Representative King said, noting an example in which a small deodorant cost about $10. He described the bill as a measure to "put a cap on how much they can charge." Representative David Martin confirmed the committee's reading that the bill is permissive: the statute would regulate prices "in the event" a warden or facility chooses to operate a canteen, not force operation of canteens.
Committee members posed no further questions during the hearing. The subcommittee ordered a roll-call vote on adoption; the recorded vote was 5-0 in favor and House Bill 3,929 received a favorable report from the Domestic Relations Business and Probate Law Subcommittee.
The transcript does not specify the numeric price cap(s) the bill would impose or the implementing mechanism; those details will be determined in the bill text and future committee work.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 3,929 — favorable report, roll-call 5-0.
