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| Medicaid program vote jeopardizes new prison |
| By baxterbulletin.com- Josh Dooley |
| Published: 01/30/2014 |
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What happens to prison funding in the state of Arkansas may hinge on the ongoing debate regarding the “private option” for Medicaid expansion as the 89th General Assembly gathers Feb. 10 in Little Rock to hash out the $5 billion budget Gov. Mike Beebe has proposed. Currently, the state’s prison system is housing more than 2,500 prisoners in county jails while 800 state prison beds lay empty due to a lack of funds for staffing. Beebe’s budget recommendation includes an additional $3 million for corrections officials to fill approximately 300 of those empty beds, and $7 million to pay counties for housing state prisoners. That $10 million increase does not include the $5.5 million corrections officials plan to ask the legislature for this session to conduct a feasibility study for a new 1,000-bed prison to help alleviate overcrowding, according to Benny Magness, chairman of the Board of Corrections. Read More. |
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