If House Bill 590 passes the Kentucky Senate and is signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear, the Department of Corrections would be required to annually adjust the maximum room and board fee of $50 per day, and require a jail to reimburse and waive fees if a prisoner is not convicted of any charges.
Earlier this week, Caldwell County Jailer Jon Pettit brought the bill to the attention of Fiscal Court and what it means for the local jail.
click to download audioCurrently, he said the local jail’s per diem is $30. In this bill, he noted, there is an adjusted increase to $50.
click to download audioPettit said there could be some major increases across the board in the near future.
click to download audioHe said the one benefit of House Bill 590 is the Caldwell County Jail will be able to collecting fees again, but that would also mean the jail would be required to reimburse and waive fees if a prisoner is not convicted of any charges.
click to download audioIn addition, he said food costs have tripled right now. Pettit noted the local jail is averaging 3,800 meals a month and currently they are well over 35,000 meals this fiscal year. He asked magistrates to keep that in mind when the new budget comes out because they will have some increases. Hopefully, he added, the jails in the surrounding counties will only go up to $35 but when House Bill 590 passes the facilities will have option to raise the fee to $50 if they choose to do so.
House Bill 590 was scheduled to be voted on Thursday, but the Legislative Research Commission is reporting as of this morning that it was “passed over and retained in the orders of the day”.
