House Bill 590

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 47-5-933, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT ALL CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR THE INCARCERATION OF STATE OFFENDERS AT A COUNTY OR A REGIONAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY SHALL BE FOR THE SAME FEE OR RATE AT EACH SUCH FACILITY FOR THE CARE AND HOUSING OF STATE OFFENDERS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 47-5-933, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-5-933. (1) The Department of Corrections may contract for the purposes set out in Section 47-5-931 for a period of not more than twenty (20) years. The contract may provide that the Department of Corrections pay a fee of no more than Thirty-two Dollars and Seventy-one Cents ($32.71) per day for each offender that is housed in the facility. The Department of Corrections may include in the contract, as an inflation factor, a three percent (3%) annual increase in the contract price. The state shall retain responsibility for medical care for state offenders to the extent that is required by law; provided, however, the department may reimburse each facility for contract medical services as provided by law in an amount not to exceed Six Dollars and Twenty-five Cents ($6.25) per day per offender.

(2) From and after the effective date of this act, all contracts entered into by the department, pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, shall provide the same fee, inflation factor and rate of reimbursement for each facility as authorized under this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.