The Russell County Fiscal Court approved a resolution in support of House Bill 557 at its meeting this week.
The bill aims to rebalance the relationship between counties and the state when it comes to jail costs according to the bill’s sponsor, Michael Meredith.
Russell County Judge-Executive Randy Marcum said he is in support of the legislation. He said the bill would free up a significant amount of county funds going toward jail costs while making sure the state pays its fair share of incarceration expenses.
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.
The bill remains stuck in the House Appropriations and Revenue committee.
