HBA-JEK, TBM H.B. 1617 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1617
By: Allen
Corrections
3/11/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) established a pilot program
in Lockhart, Texas that allows inmates to earn a prevailing wage from
private sector corporations by working within the walls of the prison.
Inmates in the program have earned a substantial amount of money, a portion
of which has been used to help pay the costs of confinement as well as
credited to the private sector prison industries oversight account and the
compensation to victims of crime fund.   House Bill 1617 modifies the use
of contributions by private sector prison industries, directing half of the
contributions to be used to expand the private sector prison industries
program and the other half to be credited to the general revenue fund. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1617 amends the Government Code to modify provisions that
require a private sector prison industries program (program) to make
payments to the private sector prison industries oversight account for the
purpose of paying the costs of the Private Sector Industries Oversight
Authority (authority) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
in implementing the program.  The bill removes provisions requiring a
program to make an annual payment to the authority in an amount equal to
what the program would pay during the year for unemployment insurance, and
authorizing the legislature to appropriate money from the private sector
prison industries oversight account only to pay the costs of the authority
and department in implementing the program.  The bill requires TDCJ to
forward money collected as contributions by program participants to the
comptroller.  The comptroller is required to deposit half of the money to
the credit of an account in the general revenue fund to be known as the
private sector prison industries expansion account (account) and half to
the credit of the general revenue fund.  Money in the account may be
appropriated only to construct work facilities and recruit corporations to
participate in the program.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.