Montgomery, AL – An Alabama Senate committee has voted for legislation that would protect the prison system from new state budget cuts and make sure prisoners don't have to be released early.
The Senate Finance and Taxation-General Fund Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to provide an extra $45.3 million to the Department of Corrections. The committee chairman, Republican Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur, said that will put the prison system back where it was before the governor had to cut spending for all state agencies by 10.6 percent due to a budget shortfall.
Orr said Gov. Robert Bentley sought the money because cutting prisons by more than 10 percent would have resulted in the early release of inmates.
The funding still must be approved by the Senate and House and signed by the governor.
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