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Corrections urges $31.6 million increase, cites staffing, overtime and Medicaid 1115 waiver
Summary
Department of Corrections officials told the Senate Judiciary Committee they seek roughly $31.6 million in additional funding largely to cover collective-bargaining salary increases, overtime and staffing, and described plans to implement an approved Medicaid 1115 waiver that would expand Medicaid coverage for incarcerated people pre-release.
Deputy Commissioner Christian Galbert told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 8 that the Department of Corrections’ FY request includes an increase of about $31.6 million on top of a current budget of roughly $199 million, driven mainly by salary and benefit annualizations tied to collective bargaining and persistent overtime costs.
Galbert said the department’s funding picture includes a large general-fund component and smaller special, federal and Medicaid Global Commitment amounts. “Our FY 26 or 27 request is, an increase of 31,600,000.0 for a current budget of 199,000,000. That represents a general fund increase of about 30,000,000,” Galbert said.
The committee was briefed on several programmatic items that the department plans to pursue if funded. Galbert described a negotiated fifth‑year fee of $75,000 for the statewide victim notification system contract and a separate expansion line for statewide pretrial services. He also outlined work to convert part of the St. Johnsbury facility to provide a more “enhanced treatment” program and said $200,000 had been included to pay a consultant to help design that conversion.
On substance‑use services, Galbert said the department has already created a recovery‑coaching network funded with $500,000 from the governor and about $1 million in opioid settlement funds; recovery coaches now work in correctional facilities and probation and parole offices. He added that a congressionally directed spending request of nearly $2 million did not receive federal funding this year because of a continuing resolution.
Committee members pressed on overtime and vacancies. Galbert said vacancy savings are largely consumed by overtime costs: “we're not able to have vacancies in a correctional facility. We have to mandate overtime. … That's why you see there is a vacancy savings of 5,600,000.0, but there's an overtime not by the of it's eaten up.” He described uniform staff routinely working high overtime levels and said the department has taken steps to reduce early mandatory overtime and to centralize operations and deployment of staff to cover gaps.
Galbert described implementation work tied to a Medicaid 1115 waiver approved last summer by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That program will fund Medicaid enrollment 90 days before release and some care‑management services post‑release; the budget shows roughly $801,000 in Global Commitment Medicaid funding for the first six months of implementation. “January 1 is the expectation date. That's 2026,” Galbert said.
Committee members also heard the department’s request to pursue Wi‑Fi installation in correctional facilities to support tablets, medical alert bracelets and other operational technology; Galbert described prior mapping and discussions with the Agency of Digital Services.
The department did not present any formal motions or votes to the committee during the hearing. Committee members said they plan to compile a letter of priorities from the Judiciary Committee for the Appropriations Committee and asked the department to highlight the top requests within the committee’s jurisdiction — staffing, victim notification system costs and pretrial expansion were identified as priorities.
Ending: Committee members asked for follow‑up detail on several line items, including clearer estimates of expected cost savings tied to Medicaid coverage and the design work for a converted treatment facility. Galbert offered to provide additional materials and said the department will continue to work with other state partners on rollout plans for Medicaid and treatment expansions.
