CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES; CLOSINGS S.B. 316:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 316 (as introduced 3-25-21)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Corrections Code to do the following:
-- Specify that if the Department of Corrections planned close a correctional facility, it would have to consider the economic impact the closure would have on the affected local community.
-- Require, at least one year before closing a facility, the Department to submit a report to the State Budget Office and various entities within the Legislature on the impact of closing the facility.
-- Require the Department, at least six months before a facility closure, to hold public hearings to allow the public an opportunity to share its concerns regarding the closure.
-- Require the Department to conduct a physical inspection and appraisal of the facility it proposed to close.
Specifically, if the Department planned to close a correctional facility, it would have to consider the potential economic impact the correctional facility closure would have on the impacted local community. "Impacted local community" would mean the county and the city, township, or village in which an individual who is employed by the Department in a correctional facility that may be closed resides.
At least one year before closing a correctional facility, the Department would have to submit a report on the impact of, and the actual and projected savings from, closing the facility to the Appropriations subcommittees of the Senate and House of Representatives concerned with corrections, the Senate and House Fiscal Agencies, the Legislative Corrections Ombudsman, and the State Budget Office. The report would have to be made available to the public.
The Department would have to include the following information in the report:
-- Age of and cost to operate each correctional facility.
-- Any need for additional improvements or renovations to the facility.
-- Operational needs and custody levels of each facility.
-- Capacity levels and current prisoner counts for each correctional facility.
-- Cost to relocate prisoners to another correctional facility.
-- Cost to relocate correctional officers and other Department employees.
-- Distance between the correctional facility that could be closed and other correctional facilities.
-- Specialized programming that was offered at the facility that could be closed and any plan to continue that programming at another facility.
-- County unemployment rates.
The report also would have to include following information regarding each impacted local community: a) potential job loss from the closure of the facility, and current number of unemployed workers and unemployment rates; b) number of individuals who had graduated from high school or obtained a high school equivalency certificate, or graduated from community college or a career and technical education program; c) number of individuals with disabilities; d) number of assistance program recipients; e) per capita personal income; f) population, labor force, and employment trends; g) five top employers; h) impact on schools, including enrollment and funding; and i) impact on local vendors.
The Department would have to provide in the report the justification for its proposed selection of a correctional facility for closure and a detailed analysis of how the information included in the report affected the Department's selection.
If the Department determined it could close a correctional facility, it would have to hold a public hearing to permit the public a direct and comprehensive opportunity to recite any concerns to the Department regarding the proposed closure. The hearing would have to be in the community in which the correctional facility was located, would have to be in a building of sufficient size to accommodate expected attendance, and would have to be held at least 30 days after the report was made available to the public and not less than six months before the facility would be closed.
The bill would require the Department to cause the State agency responsible for completing appraisals to perform a physical inspection and appraisal of any correctional facility the Department proposed to close.
Proposed MCL 791.220 Legislative Analyst: Christian Schmidt
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.