SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)– The bill to fund the last portion of a new men’s prison in Lincoln County will advance to the House Appropriations Committee with no recommendation from the House State Affairs Committee.
House Bill 1025 authorizes the South Dakota Department of Corrections to build a prison with $148.1 million from state government’s general fund and $33.9 million from budget reserves, as well as the $763 million from the incarceration construction fund that can be used to build a new prison.
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Several members of the committee had questions about ongoing costs to staff and operation of a proposed new 1,500-bed men’s prison which prompted the do-pass motion with no recommendation.
“We haven’t talked about how we are going to pay to run it,” committee member Republican Rep. Marty Overweg said.
The cost to operate and staff a new prison to replace the 800-bed men’s facility called The Hill in Sioux Falls would be about $21 million a year more than current total costs, two Department of Corrections and a state official said on Wednesday.
DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko said the staffing costs for the current men’s prison in Sioux Falls are about $19.2 million a year. The staffing costs at the new facility would be about $36.7 million a year. The existing operating costs at the State Pen are about $14.6 million a year and operating costs at the new facility will be about $18.7 million a year.
“We really don’t know how we are going to pay for ongoing costs,” committee member Republican Rep. Karla Lems said.
“I take a little different view,” committee member Republican Rep. Tim Reisch said. Most of Wednesday’s opponent testimony focused on site selection, he said. The state has the legal ability to select a site, he said. He quoted a lawsuit that was decided in 2010 while he was secretary of corrections.
The committee should advance HB1025 with a do-pass recommendation to the House Appropriations, Reisch said.
A motion from committee member Republican Rep. Greg Jamison to advance HB1025 with a recommendation to pass with a recommendation failed in a 5-8 vote.
Both Reisch and committee member Democrat Rep. Erin Healy said although they favored a recommendation, they would support advancing the bill with no recommendation because the state needs to replace the men’s facility in Sioux Falls.
The pass with no recommendation drew 12 votes in favor and one against.
Committee member and Speaker of the House Republican Rep. Jon Hansen said there will be lots of future conversations about HB1025 and the prison and that “ultimately” the bill will be discussed on the House floor.
