Senate panel hears Department of Corrections’ budget request, highlights Heart River women’s facility and MRCC expansion plan

BISMARCK — The Senate Appropriations Committee’s Human Resources Division heard a detailed public discussion on Senate Bill 2015, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation budget, focusing on one‑time and ongoing decision packages that would raise the agency’s request well above its base appropriation.

Committee members and agency leaders spent the morning on program‑level detail and capital projects, including the Heart River Correctional Center women’s facility, repairs and new equipment at youth and adult facilities, requests to convert long‑term temporary staff to authorized FTEs, and planning for a new 600‑bed Missouri River Correctional Center (MRCC) and temporary “man camp” beds while the state addresses capacity shortfalls.

Why it matters: Corrections officials said rising populations and longer average sentences are driving higher operating and medical costs. The committee heard one‑time construction and equipment asks alongside recurring personnel and program restorations; choices this session will affect capacity, staffing and the department’s operating baseline in later biennia.

The department presented its packet and a prioritized list of 51 decision packages. Michelle Zander, identified in the hearing as “Michelle Zander, CFO for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,” said the packet begins with restoration requests that recover one‑time costs removed from the base — including inflationary items the agency says remain ongoing.

Colby Braun, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, updated senators on the Heart River Correctional Center (HRCC) for women, saying work remains…