Senate Institutions committee advances bill to expand DOC family support program

The Senate Institutions Committee voted to report H.219 to the full Senate after a sponsor described plans to codify and expand a Department of Corrections family support program that has operated at the Chittenden Correctional Center women’s facility for about 20 years.

Representative Sweeney, sponsor of H.219, told the committee the program “has a proven record of helping to break the generational trauma of incarceration” and asked the committee to approve the bill so the program can be expanded to men’s facilities.

The bill would formally establish a Family Support Program under the Department of Corrections and make existing funding for the women’s program more permanent while providing seed funding to start a pilot for men’s facilities. Supporters described the program as a way to keep incarcerated parents in contact with their children through regular, supervised visits; Lund, the current provider, arranges visits, transportation supports and related costs.

Representative Sweeney said the program “has existed for 20 years at the Chittenden Correctional Center, the women's facility in Burlington” and described outcomes she credited to the visits: “If we can keep 4 or 5 kids out of these facilities, I think it's an enormously helpful tool.” She also reported that staff at other facilities told sponsors that many incarcerated fathers had expressed interest in participating in a similar program.

Committee members and sponsors discussed funding sources and contingency language in the bill. Representative Troy Hedrick noted the bill relies on existing money in a justice reinvestment fund, saying, “It's existing money in the Justice Reinvention, Reinvestment 2 fund.” Committee staff also described language in the bill stating the program “shall operate only to the extent funds are appropriated for its operation,” and witnesses explained additional costs the pilot would cover, including transportation, lodging and meal support when children travel long distances to visit.

Supporters gave staffing and budget figures during discussion: roughly $115,000 was cited as the amount needed to complete funding for the women's program in the bill language, and an additional $275,000 was discussed as seed funding to initiate a pilot at a men’s facility, for a combined initial ask in the bill of about $390,000. Sponsors said the women’s program has historically combined public funding with fundraising.

After discussion, Senator Major moved to approve H.219 as submitted; the committee took a roll call and the motion passed unanimously on the recorded roll (5–0). Committee members indicated the bill will be reported to the Senate with those recommendations; sponsors said staff will provide further details about funding and attorneys will be consulted on technical language before the bill moves forward.

The committee also noted that H.219 builds on a prior study and outreach to Lund and other providers that examined how to scale the program, and that supporters hope this is a first step toward installing similar programs across multiple men’s facilities if the pilot proves workable.