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Senate backs ban on long-term privatization of detention facilities
Summary
The Senate approved a House substitute to HB 151 that bars the state from entering privatization contracts for detention facilities and restricts financial incentives to private firms; sponsor cited national private-prison profits and higher incidents of violence under private management.
The Senate passed House Substitute 2 for HB 151 on May 6, a bill intended to prevent privatization of detention facilities and related profit-driven arrangements.
Sponsor Senator Siegfried (speaker 9) said the legislation "prohibits the state ... from entering into an agreement of any kind for detention of an individual with pay, reimbursement, or subsidy to fray any cost related to sale, purchase, construction, development, ownership, or management" by private entities. He cited national examples and claimed higher turnover and violence rates in private facilities to justify the prohibition.
Floor questions focused on whether temporary out-of-state transfers in overcrowding situations would be affected and whether Department of Corrections had weighed in; the sponsor said the bill was preventive and that certain temporary transfers would likely remain permissible under defined conditions, while long-term privatization contracts would be barred. The Department of Corrections was described on the floor as being "in favor" of the legislation.
Roll call recorded 21 yes; the House substitute was declared passed and sent forward in the legislative process.
What’s next: Implementation and any exceptions (e.g., temporary out-of-state transfers) will depend on statutory language and administrative guidance from corrections agencies.
