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Relating to the purchase and installation of climate control systems at facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB 1971, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is required to implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose.
HB 1971 would require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to contract with a private entity through a bidding process to install climate control systems at each state prison that currently does not have them. These systems would have to keep the temperature in certain areas at each prison between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The installation would have to be completed in three phases over seven years and could not exceed $100 million for each phase. The Department would only be required to implement HB 1971's provisions if the Legislature specifically appropriates money for doing so.
Texas Action supports HB 1971 because it would limit government abuse while respecting the inherent dignity of prisoners. While the bill would require further spending on prisons, incarceration is a core function the justice system and so long as the state is going to incarcerate people it should be done in a way that is humane. The additional spending this bill would prompt does not conflict with our limited government principle.
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