Committee hears proposal to set $40 minimum jail per diem as counties warn costs outpace reimbursements

House Committee on Public Institutions members heard testimony on House Bill 170, a measure sponsored by Representative Brown that would change state law to set a minimum reimbursement of $40 per day for counties that house people charged with state offenses.

The bill seeks to replace a law dating to 1997 that sets a maximum reimbursement of $37.50 per day and, as presented to the committee, would establish $40 as a statutory floor subject to appropriation. Representative Brown said the $40 figure came from a breakdown provided by a county sheriff that put the minimum cost to house a prisoner at "$40.21 a day." He told the committee the proposal is intended to give counties more predictable support from the state and to ease budget choices that have removed deputies from patrol duties to cover jail costs.

Representative Brown said, "Since 1997 we have had a maximum rate of reimbursement of $37.5. This bill wants to set the floor a minimum of $40 per day for reimbursement to the counties." He described the proposal as "just kind of the floor" and said he is open to amendments.

Susan Pulliam, director of budget and finance for the Department of Corrections,…