January 22, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Lemmons, Virgil Smith, Leland, Tobocman and Robert Jones and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
A bill to amend 1953 PA 232, entitled
"Corrections code of 1953,"
(MCL 791.201 to 791.285) by adding section 69b.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 69b. (1) In every state correctional facility, the
department shall provide a telecommunication service system that
complies with all of the following requirements:
(a) The operator service provider charges a rate for operator
services or toll services that is equal to the service provider's
actual cost of providing the operator or toll service plus a fair
and reasonable return.
(b) The system allows any individual to receive collect calls
from prisoners billed at the same rate and subject to the same
charges regardless of which local telephone service provider the
individual uses.
(c) The system allows prisoners to use a nontransferable,
nontangible prepaid account system, the rate for which shall not be
greater than the rate described in subdivision (a).
(d) The system allows prisoners to make collect calls and to
use toll-free numbers to place calls, subject to institutional
security procedures and to monitoring conducted under section 70.
(e) The system allows prisoners to place interstate or
intrastate toll calls, subject to institutional security procedures
and to monitoring conducted under section 70.
(2) The telecommunications service system shall not allow a
block to be placed on a telephone number that had been approved for
access by a prisoner unless either of the following applies:
(a) The person whose telephone number is being blocked has
failed to pay toll charges for prior calls from prisoners.
(b) The block is placed for institutional security reasons.
(3) The state shall not collect a commission greater than 25%
on calls placed by prisoners.
(4) Not later than 6 months after the effective date of this
section, the department, in cooperation with the department of
management and budget, shall renegotiate or replace its agreements
with telecommunications service providers to the extent necessary
to implement this section.
(5) As used in this section, "operator service", "operator
service provider", and "toll service" mean those terms as defined
in section 102 of the Michigan telecommunications act, 1991 PA 179,
MCL 484.2102.