HBA-JEK, TBM H.B. 1617 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1617 By: Allen Corrections 3/11/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) established a pilot program in Lockhart, Texas that allows inmates to earn a prevailing wage from private sector corporations by working within the walls of the prison. Inmates in the program have earned a substantial amount of money, a portion of which has been used to help pay the costs of confinement as well as credited to the private sector prison industries oversight account and the compensation to victims of crime fund. House Bill 1617 modifies the use of contributions by private sector prison industries, directing half of the contributions to be used to expand the private sector prison industries program and the other half to be credited to the general revenue fund. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1617 amends the Government Code to modify provisions that require a private sector prison industries program (program) to make payments to the private sector prison industries oversight account for the purpose of paying the costs of the Private Sector Industries Oversight Authority (authority) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in implementing the program. The bill removes provisions requiring a program to make an annual payment to the authority in an amount equal to what the program would pay during the year for unemployment insurance, and authorizing the legislature to appropriate money from the private sector prison industries oversight account only to pay the costs of the authority and department in implementing the program. The bill requires TDCJ to forward money collected as contributions by program participants to the comptroller. The comptroller is required to deposit half of the money to the credit of an account in the general revenue fund to be known as the private sector prison industries expansion account (account) and half to the credit of the general revenue fund. Money in the account may be appropriated only to construct work facilities and recruit corporations to participate in the program. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.