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Subcommittee backs bill to cap prices at Department of Corrections canteens if wardens allow sales
Summary
House Bill 3,929, filed by Representative John King, would establish statutory rules governing Department of Corrections canteens and cap prices for items sold; the subcommittee returned a favorable report 5-0 after discussion clarifying the bill’s permissive application to individual facilities.
House Bill 3,929, filed by Representative John King, would create statutory provisions governing how the Department of Corrections (DOC) manages facility canteens and would set limits on pricing for items sold at those canteens.
Representative John King told the subcommittee he filed the bill in response to constituent complaints of high prices in prison canteens. “I believe that there's price gouging within the system, in the canteens,” King said. He described anecdotal reports from family members who said a small personal item of deodorant cost about $10 at some facilities.
Representative David Martin asked whether the bill requires canteens in every facility; Representative King clarified the measure is permissive: it would regulate canteens “in the event” a warden or facility manager chooses to operate a canteen, and it would not mandate that facilities operate canteens. The committee discussed the bill as a regulatory cap that would apply when a facility elects to have a canteen.
After questions and discussion, the subcommittee took a roll-call vote and returned a favorable report on House Bill 3,929 by a vote of 5 to 0.
The subcommittee did not provide floor text specifying exact price caps during the discussion recorded in the transcript, and no fiscal analysis or implementation timeline was presented in the meeting.
