Bill would add formerly incarcerated people to Correctional Industries advisory committee

The Senate Human Services Committee held a public hearing on Engrossed House Bill 1185, which would add two voting members with direct lived experience who are not in total confinement to the Correctional Industries Advisory Committee. The bill is sponsored by Representative Fosse and staff said the measure passed the House on March 4 by a vote of 86 to 9.

Committee staff Kelsey Ann Fung summarized the bill and related background. She said the advisory committee currently has nine voting members serving staggered three‑year terms and that the new appointments would be made by the governor. Fung told the committee a fiscal note estimated indeterminate costs but assumed less than $50,000 per year.

The bill would implement a requirement from recent legislation called the Nothing About Us Without Us Act by adding voting seats for people with lived experience. Representative Fosse, the bill’s sponsor, said the intent is to bring perspectives from people who participated in correctional industries while incarcerated so the committee’s recommendations better reflect what programs actually help people reenter the community. “Having somebody formerly incarcerated who has been through the system … would really, really enhance the committee,” Representative Fosse said.

Public testimony emphasized that lived experience can help identify which training and jobs translate to employment after release. Raymond Williams, policy coordinator at Justice Solutions, said many current operations do not produce skills comparable to private‑sector jobs, and recommended that people with lived experience help prioritize programs. Jamie Dolan, director of Correctional Industries at the Department of Corrections, said the department supports the policy change and that those with lived experience can help identify gaps and strengthen programs.

Committee members asked procedural and fiscal questions. A member asked whether committee members are paid; staff replied that the advisory committee is a “class 3 group” under current law and members can receive up to $50 per day. Staff and witnesses also referred to DOC policies for existing gratuity and wage scales for incarcerated workers, described in testimony as roughly $1 to $3 per hour for certain work classifications.

No vote was taken; the committee opened and closed the public hearing on the bill during the meeting.

The measure remains at the committee hearing stage. If advanced, the bill would change advisory committee membership and require the governor to appoint two former participants in correctional industries who are not in full confinement.