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After sheriff testimony, sponsor withdraws inmate‑phone fee bill for further negotiation
Summary
Senator Allen Clark withdrew SB 550 after county sheriffs and the Arkansas Sheriffs Association described reliance on phone revenue and said vendors typically charge about 25–30¢ per minute; Clark said he will work with stakeholders on caps and a transition timetable.
The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs committee heard extended testimony on Senate Bill 550, which would limit or regulate fees charged for phone calls by inmates, before the sponsor withdrew the measure for further negotiation.
Senator Allen Clark introduced SB 550 and said he intended to run the bill but expected opposition. He recounted a report of a three‑minute call costing $35 and said he was sympathetic both to families and to sheriffs who rely on phone revenue to run jails.
Scott Bradley, director of the Arkansas Sheriffs Association, told the committee the main vendors his members use — named in testimony as Correct Solutions and City Telcoin — typically charge about 25–30¢ per minute and that the average family cost for inmate calls is about $40 per month. Bradley said those contracts also provide kiosks, tablets and digital law libraries that jails use for video visitation, legal research and medical request systems; without revenue from phone services, jails may have to seek public funding or remove those services.
John Staley, a county sheriff, described practices in his county: an intake call is free, bondsmen and attorney calls are free, and video visitation kiosks are available at the sheriff's office. Staley said rates and revenue depend on jail size and offered to supply exact figures to the committee; he also said he would refer instances of alleged price gouging to the attorney general.
Committee members asked whether a fixed cap (for example, 30¢ per minute) would be workable and how much revenue jails receive. Witnesses said revenue varies by facility and that a transition period or replacement funding mechanism could be discussed. Senator Ballinger suggested a statutory cap might provide negotiating leverage with vendors.
After that testimony, Senator Allen Clark said he was amenable to reasonable limits and transition timing and announced he would withdraw SB 550 ‘‘without objection’’ so language and effective dates could be worked out with stakeholders.
The committee did not vote on SB 550; the sponsor withdrew it for revision.
