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Senate approves requirement that counties conduct cost‑benefit studies before major jail projects
Summary
Senate File 23‑68 requires counties to prepare a public cost analysis before building new jails, renovating more than half of a jail, or expanding jail grounds, including resident counts, staffing and transportation costs; the bill passed the Senate on final reading.
Senate File 23‑68 passed the Senate on final reading after sponsor Senator Bussello described the bill's required elements for a county cost analysis prior to jail projects. The study must include numbers and comparisons of county residents versus non‑county residents booked in county jails, per‑prisoner annual cost, staffing and equipment costs, transportation costs, and a list of surrounding counties' jail capacities and actual occupancy.
Senator Bussello said the measures are common‑sense transparency and planning tools that should be available to the public at the meetings where counties consider such projects. The bill requires that the report be available to the public upon request and at meetings where the project is discussed.
The Senate read the bill for the final time and declared it passed. The sponsor moved final passage and the roll call showed the bill had received the constitutional majority necessary according to the floor record.
