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Subcommittee backs bill to regulate pricing in Department of Corrections canteens; measure discretionary for institutions
Summary
House Bill 3,929, filed by Representative John King, would create statutory provisions governing prison canteens and cap prices for items sold to incarcerated people. The subcommittee gave the bill a favorable report, 5-0; members clarified the measure regulates canteens only if a facility chooses to operate them.
The Domestic Relations, Business and Probate Law Subcommittee gave a favorable report to House Bill 3,929, a bill filed by Representative John King that would establish statutory provisions governing how the Department of Corrections manages institutional canteens and the pricing of items sold in those canteens.
Representative John King told the committee he filed the bill because he believed there is “price gouging within the system, in the canteens,” and said families of incarcerated people had reported high prices for basic items. “If they have to get, like, deodorant that’s probably this size, they’re paying, like, $10 for it,” King said.
Committee members asked procedural questions about the bill’s scope. Representative David Martin asked whether the measure would require institutions to operate canteens; the chair and Representative King clarified it would not compel operation. “It would be up to the warden or whoever manages that prison itself. They would make the decision as to whether or not this goes in, but if they do allow it, this is just a regulation of how it will be operated and maintained,” the chair stated, reflecting how King described the bill.
After brief discussion the subcommittee ordered a roll-call vote; Representatives Bernstein, Calhoun, Guest, King and Martin voted aye. With a vote of 5 in favor and none against, HB 3,929 received a favorable report from the subcommittee.
No specific price caps or statutory rate numbers were discussed on the record at this meeting; the bill text would need to be consulted for exact limits. The subcommittee took no further implementation steps at the meeting.
