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Committee hears bill to raise state match for corrections public‑private projects to 50%
Summary
House Bill 22‑15 would change the statutory definition of a public‑private partnership for correctional institution construction so the Department of Corrections could pay up to 50 percent of project costs, not the current 25 percent.
House Bill 22‑15 would change the statutory definition of a public‑private partnership for correctional institution construction so the Department of Corrections could pay up to 50 percent of project costs, not the current 25 percent.
The change, the bill brief said, would amend “KSA 75 52 1 67,” the section that defines the terms related to the secretary of corrections’ authority to enter such partnerships. Reviser testimony summarized the existing definition and the proposed amendment to increase the department cost cap from 25 percent to 50 percent.
Keith Bradshaw, executive director of contracts and finance for the Kansas Department of Corrections, testified in support. “This is simply changing the matching rate, for state funds, from 25% to 50%, which would allow us to draw down, and, leverage private donations for the construction of a career campus, which, would be sited at the Lansing Correctional Facility,” Bradshaw said. He told the committee the department commissioned a feasibility study that found support in the business community and reported the common theme that private donors expected a larger state financial stake at a 50 percent match.
Bradshaw said the legislature last session appropriated the funding necessary to meet a 50 percent match and that “there will be no fiscal impact as a result of this bill.” He said, if the Lansing campus succeeds, the department would explore similar projects at other facilities.
Committee members asked whether the change would affect other sites such as Hutchinson; Bradshaw said that would be a possible next step only if the Lansing effort proved successful. When asked which private entities had committed to donate, he said the department was at an early stage of outreach and anticipated making donor requests in the next month or two.
No opponents testified at the hearing and the committee did not take final action during the session on HB 22‑15.
Why it matters: Proponents said raising the match would let the state leverage private donations to build vocational and career‑training facilities inside a correctional institution, starting with Lansing Correctional Facility; supporters said that employers and businesses expressed support but expected a larger state contribution.
