Corrections & Institutions committee maps priorities: telecoms, commissary, supervision fees and DOC report extension
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Summary
At a late-afternoon Corrections & Institutions committee meeting, members reviewed unfinished bills from the prior session and four new bills, agreed to reconvene subcommittees on commissary and telecommunications, and granted DOC an extension to Feb. 1 to complete a report on converting Saint Johnsbury Correctional Facility into a treatment facility.
Speaker 1 opened a late-afternoon meeting asking the committee to decide how to proceed on unfinished business and four newly referred bills and whether to invite bill sponsors for informational hearings. "It's too short a notice for Michelle Charles to come in to give us a walk through on May," Speaker 1 said, adding the committee could still invite her but should not expect a quick May briefing.
Speaker 2 summarized items that appeared to have momentum from the previous session, including telecommunications reform, a commissary contract with concerns about a roughly 30% kickback, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and access to records for people released from custody. Speaker 2 proposed bundling consensus items into a single miscellaneous bill to move quickly on shared priorities.
Committee members reviewed subcommittee participation and agreed to reconvene small groups to refresh notes: Joe and Kevin were asked to brainstorm commissary issues, while Sean and Will were directed to address telecommunications concerns and return recommendations in a few days. Speaker 3 recommended scheduling Ben Green of the Agency of Natural Resources for a brief update on projects that have shifted since session, including the Green River and reservoir matters.
On new bills, members cited several bill numbers the committee received—430, 436, 540 (described as addressing community reparative boards/community justice centers), 549 (motor-vehicle/parole-board related), and 550 (described as transgender standards)—and discussed which restorative-justice model to advance and whether to invite external reviewers such as Karen Dolan.
Speaker 1 also told the committee that the appropriations bill requested DOC examine converting the former work camp at Saint Johnsbury Correctional Facility into a treatment facility. DOC has asked for more time to finalize a draft report; the committee granted an extension to Feb. 1 to allow DOC to complete that work.
The meeting concluded with assignments for staff to check in with the parole board, state-building security contacts, and local stakeholders on Franklin County field days and Ag Fair grant funding. The committee will reconvene the following day for additional updates.
