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Bill would require state agencies to accommodate legislative visits to correctional and other facilities
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 5,342 would require the Department of Corrections, DCYF and DSHS to provide access to state facilities to elected and appointed legislators upon written request; DOC staff testified in support and identified potential overtime costs for short‑notice visits.
Substitute Senate Bill 5,342, requiring certain state agencies to provide access to facilities to members of the legislature upon written request, was presented to the committee; agency witnesses supported the policy while noting operational and fiscal implications for scheduling and staffing.
Committee staff Monica Fontaine outlined the bill and the kinds of facilities covered: Department of Corrections carceral facilities and reentry centers, Department of Children, Youth, and Families secure residential facilities, and Department of Social and Health Services behavioral health and developmental disability facilities. "The bill before you requires DOC, DCYF, and DSHS provide access to elected or appointed members of the legislature," Fontaine said during the staff report.
Kellit Saer, Assistant Secretary for Budget Strategy and Technology with the Department of Corrections, testified in support on behalf of DOC, thanking the bill sponsor for working with the department on substitute language. Saer said legislative visits help inform policy and recommended including incarcerated individuals' perspectives in policy discussions. Saer also said DOC's current policy facilitates visits within two weeks when notice is provided and identified potential overtime costs if visits are requested with shorter notice; DOC estimated a single four‑hour tour could cost about $322 in overtime and a two‑hour meeting outside regular visiting hours might cost $161.
Staff and the department exchanged clarification about scheduling and potential overtime, but the hearing record shows no formal vote or committee action. The committee proceeded to the next item after agency testimony concluded.
