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Lawmakers defer SB 782 after wide testimony on free prison phone services and victim‑notification funding
Summary
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony for and against SB 782, which would provide free voice communications for incarcerated people and prohibit agencies from profiting from communications; the committee deferred decision to gather more information, including on funding for the SAVIN victim‑notification program under new FCC rules.
The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection and its joint committees heard extensive testimony on SB 782, a measure that would require free voice communication services for persons confined in the state’s youth and adult correctional facilities and prohibit state agencies from deriving revenue from those services.
Witnesses for and against the bill described competing priorities: public defender advocates and civil‑liberties groups argued that free communications are vital to maintain family ties and assist reentry, while several victim‑service witnesses warned that the bill could imperil the SAVIN victim‑notification program’s funding stream.
Edward Aquino…
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