A bill making its way through the state legislature aims to rebalance the relationship between counties and the state when it comes to jail costs.
Jails are one of the largest line items counties spend money on, according to State Representative Michael Meredith, who is sponsoring House Bill 557 and was recently a guest on Community Conversation on WJRS.
The bill shifts from the current model, in which the state pays a per-diem to county jails for housing state inmates to a contract-based system that would pay counties and regional jail authorities the actual cost of housing state inmates.
Under the current system, county jails often house felony defendants for months or even years before sentencing but do not receive reimbursement when that time is credited toward a state sentence. The bill would require the state to reimburse counties for those costs.
As it stands, House Bill 557 remains sitting in the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee.
Stay tuned to WJRS News for more on this bill and other bills being considered in this year’s legislative session.
