SB730: Bill Text

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Senate BILL 730

November 21, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Roys, Hesselbein, Taylor, L. Johnson and Spreitzer, cosponsored by Representatives Emerson, Clancy, Madison, Hong, Conley, Joers, Ohnstad, Shelton, Palmeri, Sinicki and Jacobson. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

SB730,1,3 An Act to create 20.410 (1) (bp) and 302.092 of the statutes; relating to: technology service access by inmates of state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill provides that inmates of a state correctional institution or county jail or house of correction be allowed access to email, live audiovisual calling services, and electronic media services if they have a personal computing device. Under the bill, the Department of Corrections or the sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction may charge the inmate for the services, but the charge to the inmate may not exceed the cost charged to DOC or the county by the service provider for such services, and each inmate must be provided a weekly stipend of $17.50 to purchase such services.

This bill provides to DOC $13,213,800 in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $19,820,700 in the 2024-25 fiscal year to pay for DOC inmate technology access stipends and $3,033,300 in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $4,550,000 in the 2024-25 fiscal year to reimburse counties for county jail or house of correction inmate technology access stipends.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB730,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

SB730,2 Section 2. 20.410 (1) (bp) of the statutes is created to read:

SB730,2,6 20.410 (1) (bp) Reimbursement of counties for inmate technology access stipends. The amounts in the schedule for payments to counties under s. 302.092 (2) (d) for county jail or house of correction inmate technology access stipends.

SB730,3 Section 3 . 302.092 of the statutes is created to read:

SB730,2,12 302.092 Technology service access by inmates of state correctional institutions and county jails or houses of correction. (1) (a) The department shall ensure that each inmate of a state correctional institution is allowed to access email, live audiovisual calling services, and electronic media services if the inmate has a personal computing device.

SB730,2,16 (b) The department may impose a charge for accessing email, live audiovisual calling services, and electronic media services under par. (a), but the department may not charge an inmate more than the cost charged to the department by the service provider for such services.

SB730,3,3 (c) The department shall provide to each inmate in a state correctional institution a weekly technology access stipend of $17.50 to purchase services under par. (a).

SB730,3,7 (2) (a) The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall ensure that each inmate of the county jail or house of correction is allowed to access email, live audiovisual calling services, and electronic media services if the inmate has a personal computing device.

SB730,3,12 (b) The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction may impose a charge for accessing email, live audiovisual calling services, and electronic media services under par. (a), but the sheriff or person in charge of the county jail or house of correction may not charge an inmate more than the cost charged to the county by the service provider for such services.

SB730,3,15 (c) The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall ensure that each inmate in the county jail or house of correction is provided a weekly technology access stipend of $17.50 to purchase services under par. (a).

SB730,3,23 (d) Annually, a county board may apply to the department for reimbursement of its costs for inmate technology access stipends under par. (c) for inmates in the county jail or house of correction. After verification by the department, the department shall reimburse the county its actual costs for such technology access stipends from the appropriation under s. 20.410 (1) (bp). If the amounts provided under s. 20.410 (1) (bp) for any fiscal year are insufficient to provide complete reimbursement under this paragraph, the department shall establish a system to prorate the reimbursements.

SB730,4 Section 4. Fiscal changes.

SB730,4,7 (1) Inmate technology services. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of corrections under s. 20.410 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2023-24 is increased by $13,213,800 to pay for the cost of inmate technology access stipends under s. 302.092 (1) (c). In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of corrections under s. 20.410 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2024-25 is increased by $19,820,700 to pay for the cost of inmate technology access stipends under s. 302.092 (1) (c).

SB730,4,8 (End)