Vermont lawmaker urges review of prison wages, commissary pricing, telecom contracts and out‑of‑state placements

Representative Troy Hedrick of Burlington asked the House Corrections & Institutions Committee on Thursday to consider legislation that would raise pay for incarcerated workers, restrict commissary markups, require free telecommunications where feasible and direct the Department of Corrections to plan a return of Vermonters housed in out‑of‑state or for‑profit facilities.

Hedrick framed the proposals as a moral and constitutional issue, pointing to the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment and the 2022 Vermont ballot change (Proposition 2) that amended Article I of the state constitution to add “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.” “I do believe that the goals associated with corrections and correction reform are possible,” Hedrick said during his presentation, and he argued that the current pay scale for incarcerated labor in Vermont — which he said ranges from $0.25 to $1.25 per hour with a 10¢ bonus up to $1.35 — raises constitutional and ethical questions.

Hedrick outlined two bills for committee consideration. The first, discussed as H.294 in committee remarks, would require the Department of Corrections to allow incarcerated workers’ wages to be placed in a special fund and, among other provisions, would:

- Require any contract to provide commissary services to…