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Legislative Committe Approves Prison Health Privatization Amendment
September 13, 2012
A budget amendment that would allow the Department of Corrections to move forward with a plan to private health-care services for its inmates passed the Legislative Budget Commission on a party-line vote Wednesday.
The action almost guarantees a lawsuit, with unions representing affected workers vowing that they will move to block the privatization drive. Earlier efforts to privatize prison functions have also gotten tied up in court.
The 6-4 vote by the panel technically just shifts money around in the department’s budget to provide the funding for pushing ahead with the initiative. But Democratic lawmakers said the move was a de facto change in policy that was far beyond the authority of the commission, which was created to handle midyear adjustments to the state spending plan.
Department officials say they have the authority to carry out the privatization, something expected to save $56 million, under a provision of law that says the agency “may contract for the provision of services by counties, municipalities, nonprofit corporations, and other entities capable of providing needed services” if it will save money.
“We’re not enacting a policy,” Senate Budget Chairman JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales, told reporters after the meeting. “The executive branch is operating within its established legal authority.”
But Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, said the department’s reading of the law was a stretch.
“Why then would you ever need to come to the Legislature for any appropriation or permission or authorization if you have the unbridled authority under ‘other entities’ to contract anywhere?” he asked.
Critics also worried about the impact of the potential move on state workers who would possibly lose their job if a private company took over health care.
“They may be offered a job with the private firm, but most likely at a lower salary with much lower benefits,” said Chris Snow of the Florida Nurses Association. The group represents 850 workers in state prisons, Snow said.
Democrats and opponents also questioned whether private companies would provide an acceptable level of care to inmates in an effort to cut costs.
Supporters largely brushed off many of the concerns.
“There are going to be problems, either way you go,” Alexander said. “The question is, can we improve the quality and save money? And the Department of Corrections and the governor’s office have put forward a plan that they believe will do that.”
Efforts to privatize prison functions have led to lengthy court battles in recent months. A Leon County circuit judge declined to rule on a previous effort in 2011 to privatize prison health-care services through the fine print of the budget because the language expired June 30, 2012, before he could rule on it.
A separate judge blocked efforts to privatize all prisons in the southern third of the state; the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying she didn’t have standing to appeal the decision because she wasn’t a party to the case.
Doug Martin of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees made it clear Wednesday that his group intended to quickly challenge the newest privatization push in court.
“It could be as soon as tomorrow,” Martin said.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
7 Responses to “Legislative Committe Approves Prison Health Privatization Amendment”
Privatization of prisons is designed to put money back into the governors pocket .the only way that they can do it cheaper is to higher less qualified personel.They have private prisons in other states and they are a dissaster!
To all concerned, the system or America in general is gone down the tubes. The people of Florida let Rick Scott breeze into town and decided to elect him governor and now complain because they bought a bum steer. I say that they wanted to sow the wind, well let them reap the whirlwind.
I am not going to make myself sick and worry as the wind starts to blow on this house of cards, I am just going to continue to steadily prepare for the day it all hits the fan and I say the sooner the better. Then we can clean it up and set it right.
Henery Coe you are on the money, JSL you have my full support, I almost accepted a corrections position after I retired from the military, passed the exam, the physical test ect. I came to the realization at the last minute that I was not cut out to be a C/O, though I am an excellent shot and can swing a blackjack hard enough to put a bull in a coma, just not for me. Good luck in your career Sir.
Privatizing anything about prisons or any other aspect of government is fascism realized. It is taking a task that through government was being done at cost and adding to that the profit required by a private corporation and its share holders.
This is nothing more than a way to exploit the tax payers of Florida. The reason it is being put on the ballot is because it is a horrible idea and no politician can say otherwise or wants to put their name on it.
Like the Property Tax Cut that was put on the ballot in 06 to push the real estate bubble for a while longer before it popped, Florida House Republicans are counting on the misinformed and ill-informed Florida voters voting to pass this because they have no idea that it will mean more taxes for Floridians to pay.
The State Republicans are already creating a fake accounts receivables by hiring private bill collectors to collect bogus debts and they do more of the same with private bill collectors working for the state to collect for health care charges from private doctors and health care providers working for the state.
All the while, as these bogus Accounts Receivables grow, the state will use those to offset the ledger of the budget making it look balanced when it is nothing more than a type of derivatives market. Yes, I said it. The State of Florida is doing to its books what Wall Street did between 1998 and 2008.
The state government will grow and grow until it can’t hide the lie any more and it will ruin our state.
I do not have a family member in prison. I work at one. Therefore, I think that makes me a little bit more knowledgeable than you about what goes on. By the way, weights have been pretty much gone for about six years now. My point is this, If people are being incacerated to make a copoeration rich, do you think they care about recidivisim. NO they don’t. They want the prisons to stay full so they make more money. This is the first step towards just that.
JSL every family has a member in prison as does mine. My cousin he wanted to run the I95 and to be an arm breaking tough guy, well he is in a place where he can workout all he wants, intimidate and hurt people all day long, until someone tougher comes along as is always the case.
Prisons are not supposed to be pleasant, they are bad places, the reward for bad behavior. I am sorry you have a family member that is incarcerated and I hope that they are not soft and timid. If you are worried about them I would suggest you cultivate a contact within the facility, for which to employ security for them. Start a bank allottment to someone’s commissary account or family, someone suited to the enviroment.
429SCJ : You are wrong. Prisons should be safe, secure and humane. If your family member were in prison would you want them to be treated inhumane. I don’t think you would. And don’t say ” My family member wouldn’t end up in there. ” because you never know. However all this Privatization is the first step to having your wishes of being inhumane come true.
If you have a problem with privitization of prison healthcare, don’t go to prison or get your own HMO.
Prisons should be a bad inhumane place, people would not wish to return there if they found life there intolerable.