Commissioner of corrections required to submit certain proposed rules for legislative approval prior to implementation.
Impact
By instituting this legislative oversight, HF2936 impacts the standard operational process for corrections facilities. If the costs exceed the specified threshold, jails and workhouses can apply for a temporary exemption from the rule, which pauses its applicability until further legislative action is taken. This exemption process aims to protect facilities from potentially burdensome regulations, yet still requires a regulatory framework to evaluate the financial implications of new rules.
Summary
House File 2936 mandates that the commissioner of corrections must submit proposed rules for legislative approval prior to their implementation. This bill is designed to increase oversight and accountability within the corrections system in Minnesota. Specifically, it alters the process by which new or amended rules are adopted, requiring a cost assessment that determines whether the financial burden of compliance exceeds $25,000 for jails, lockups, or workhouses in the first year after the rules take effect.
Contention
The bill has prompted discussions regarding the balance between necessary corrections oversight and the operational flexibility required by correctional institutions. Critics may argue that such legislative mandates could slow down the implementation of crucial reforms in the corrections system, while advocates stress the importance of transparency and legislative input in managing public resources effectively. This dynamic highlights key tensions in corrections policy, particularly regarding fiscal responsibility and institutional autonomy.
Standards of basic medical care for confined or incarcerated persons established, information release forms provided, portable recording system for correctional facility and jail staff and correctional officers required, and money appropriated.
Legislative approval to extend a declared emergency beyond five days requirement; legislative enactment before certain executive orders and rules may have the force and effect of law requirement
Commissioner of management and budget submission of evaluations of capital improvement project requests relating to jails to the legislature requirement; county jails study and report by the commissioner of corrections requirement
Commissioner of management and budget required to submit evaluations of capital improvement project requests relating to jails to the legislature, and study and report of county jails required by commissioner of corrections.
Civil commitment priority admission requirements modified, prisoner in a correctional facility specified to not be responsible for co-payments for mental health medications, county co-payment expense reimbursement allowed, and money appropriated.