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| State panel blocks sales of prisons |
| By thenewsstar.com - Mike Hasten |
| Published: 06/07/2011 |
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BATON ROUGE — The House Appropriations Committee by one vote rejected Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to sell three state prisons. With a 13-12 vote, committee members sided with testimony from families of prison employees, Avoyelles and Rapides parish residents and Rapides Parish District Attorney Charles Riddle arguing that it wasn't a good deal for the state or for the people involved. "We made a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the game's not over," Misty Dubroc, whose husband works at Avoyelles Correctional Center, said following the vote. Stopping the sale of the Avoyelles facility and the currently privately operated Winn Parish and Allen Parish correctional facilities does not stop the threat of the prisons closing because of a budget shortfall in the Department of Corrections. Jindal administration officials argued that the state could save money by selling prisons. "This is a sensible step that needs to be taken or needs to be explored considering the budget challenges we face," said Stephen Waguespack, Jindal's executive counsel. "Other states have done this." Now that the sales issue is over, DOC Secretary Jimmy Le Blanc says he will now turn all of his attention toward getting the Senate to plug the $27.5 million hole in his budget after the House stripped funding. Because of that cut, Le Blanc on Friday sent layoff notices to employees of Avoyelles, the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in DeQuincy, the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center in Pineville, the Forcht Wade Correctional Center at Keithville and the Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie. "We need you to proceed immediately in implementing a layoff for all positions at your institution," Le Blanc's memo to the prisons said. Layoffs of the 1,144 staff would be effective July 17. Reps. Robert Johnson, D-Marksville, Chris Hazel, R-Ball, Chris Roy Jr., D-Alexandria, and Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria, fought the proposed privatization. Hazel, a member of the committee, said he's been working since February, when word first came out that prisons might be sold, to get information and to block the sales. He said it especially didn't make sense to close five prisons when the House just cut the corrections budget 5 percent. "It was huge," he said of the vote. "I was very humbled by the vote." Johnson also has worked to defeat HB545 and said after the vote "there are some courageous members on the Appropriations Committee. It's hard to stand up to the governor," who lobbied hard to get the bill approved. "They did what's right and what's right for the people of Louisiana." Johnson and Hazel said Jindal, several employees of his office, Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle (who also is Jindal's legislative liaison) and Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater made calls to their constituents urging them to call their legislators and tell them to vote for the bill. Read More. |
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