Conference committee signals agreement to add $1.5M for corrections, remove $25,000 reentry appropriation

Chairman Cleary convened the conference committee on Senate Bill 2015 to discuss differences between the House and Senate corrections budgets, focusing on one-time funds, staffing and reentry program language.

The committee signaled agreement to include a $1,500,000 appropriation that had been removed from House Bill 1549 and to strike a separate $25,000 line and the Section 8 language in the House version that would have required the Department to "establish and administer" a Native American reentry program. "I would be in support of including the 1.5, but then striking the 25,000 that was removed," Chairman Cleary said, and staff were asked to capture those changes on an updated long sheet for the committees to review.

Why it matters: The decisions affect Department of Corrections operations, one-time deferred maintenance and equipment funding, and whether statutory language in a signed bill will be carried into the budget. The committee also discussed staff counts (FTEs), market equity for corrections staff and project prioritization for extraordinary repairs.

Committee discussion and direction

Members reviewed several House changes the Senate conferees said they were willing to accept and flagged items they wanted clarified before formal action. The Senate conferees indicated…