Committee recommends $103.3 million for pay increases at Arizona Department of Corrections
Summary
The House Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement voted to recommend Senate Bill 1010, a $103.3 million FY2026 appropriation proposing 20% raises for correctional officers and 10% for other Department of Corrections staff, citing vacancy and retention concerns.
The Arizona House Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement voted to give Senate Bill 1010 a due-pass recommendation, endorsing a $103,300,000 FY2026 appropriation to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCR) to fund 20% raises for correctional officers and 10% raises for other DOC employees.
The proposal, described to the committee by staff as an appropriation from the state general fund, was presented at the hearing as a response to a reported recruitment and retention crisis at ADCR. Barry DeFeo, executive president of the Arizona Correction Association, told the committee, “SB 10 10 is not just about pay, it's about public safety, operational stability, and ensuring Arizona can retain and attract the professionals who safeguard our state every day.” DeFeo told members ADCR faces an 18.55% vacancy rate and roughly 1,100 unfilled positions.
The bill would appropriate $103,300,000 in FY2026 to provide a 20% increase for correctional officers and a 10% increase for other department staff. Committee members and witnesses tied staffing shortfalls to operational strain: Justin Thornton, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police–Arizona, said officers “need help getting more bodies in there to help not only the safety of the officers, but the safety of the inmates.” Clinton Roberts, executive vice president of the Arizona Corrections Association, added that programming for incarcerated people requires staff to operate and that understaffing reduces those rehabilitation services.
Committee members debated the size and scope of the appropriation. Representative Collin said the $103.3 million figure was large relative to other priorities and that the bill also extends a 10% raise to non–correctional-officer DOC employees, for which the committee had not received detailed data. Representative Simicak and others referenced a $20,000,000 allocation in the governor’s proposed budget; Simicak described that figure as a planned 5% increase and said she could not support the larger appropriation at this time. Representative Gillette said she reviewed past appropriations and voiced support for the bill; Representative Taylor and Chairman Marshall described visits and training experiences that informed their votes in favor.
The committee voted to return SB 1010 with a due-pass recommendation. The committee chair announced the result as 7 ayes, 2 nays, 5 present and 1 absent. The recommendation moves the bill to the next legislative step for budget negotiations and floor consideration.
Clarifying details stated to the committee included the bill's dollar amount ($103,300,000), the proposed 20%/10% pay splits, the DOC vacancy rate reported as 18.55% (about 1,100 open positions), and the DOC starting pay cited in testimony as $21.93 per hour (reported in testimony as $45,621 annually). Witnesses also gave comparative pay figures (e.g., Maricopa County corrections up to ~17% higher, Nevada DOC and California DOC reported as roughly 30%–34% higher in testimony).
