Institutions Committee pares NECC budget ask to $200,000 for consultant; drops $100,000 implementation allocation

Hess Christensen, chair of the Institutions Committee, said the panel would review its recommendations to the Appropriations Committee Friday, Feb. 20, as members debated language that would fund a study and potential early actions at the Northeast Correctional Complex.

Ben Novogratzky, outside legislative counsel, told the committee that the draft budget language on the table would reframe a $300,000 general‑fund allocation for fiscal 2026 as two parts: "$200,000 from the general fund to retain a consultant to develop an implementation plan for the Northeast Correctional Complex's transition to a treatment focused facility for incarcerated Vermonters," and a separate subdivision of $100,000 "for early phase implementation of the NECC transition to a treatment focused" facility.

The committee spent the next hour discussing which parts of the NECC campus the language would cover (the secure facility, the Caledonia County Work Camp, or both), what the $200,000 should buy, and whether the panel should recommend the additional $100,000 for initial upgrades. Committee members pressed for clearer drafting so the appropriation would unambiguously cover either the secure side, the work camp, or both. Members noted the work camp is a separate, metal‑framed, lower‑security building with bunk beds, while the secure side is a distinct structure with different security and…