A new task force on prisons clears a Senate committee
Gosch wants to limit Noem-Johnson finance loophole
The Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday morning recommended passage of the task force plan from Republican Sen. Kevin Jensen. The vote sends Senate Bill 124 to the full Senate for consideration on Tuesday afternoon.
The House meanwhile was still scheduled on Monday afternoon to reconsider an amended version of House Bill 1025, which had failed 34-35 on Friday. The amendment calls for stripping the authorization for the proposed 1,500-bed prison in Lincoln County and would now only transfer $148,109,837 from state government's general fund to the state incarceration construction fund.
Sen. Jensen's counter-proposal calls for establishing a 10-member panel that would meet at least six times this year and report its recommendations no later than December 1, 2025.
State Department of Corrections finance officer Brittni Skipper opposed it.
The Senate committee on a 5-4 vote however killed a companion measure, Senate Bill 204, from Jensen that sought to 'prohibit the expenditure of certain funds appropriated for purposes related to the construction of a prison facility.'
Ryan Brunner, a senior aide to the governor, opposed SB 204.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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