Senate reconvenes at 2:30 Sunday, resumes work to keep prison funding secure for 2012

Time is running out on the 2011 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature and by this time next week, there will either be tears of joy or despair in Washington Parish, along with four other parishes in the state.

That’s because HB1, the state’s budget bill, will have been settled and five state prisons — including B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, will know the future of the facility and its employees.

The final push for funding begins when the Senate reconvenes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday to continue the review of the bill. After the Senate is finished, the bill will go back to the House for a final vote. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said that he will sign the bill if the House agrees with the Senate’s work.

The legislation has been much discussed since word first came out that $25 million in budget  cuts to the Louisiana Department  of Public Safety and Corrections budget would result in the closure of the prisons.

This past week, however, senators went over the bill with a fine-tooth comb — reversing some cuts made in the House and moving money around from department to department and agency to agency.

On Wednesday, members of Senate Finance Committee announced they had worked to the point that closure of the prisons could be avoided.

“I'm under the impression that the way that we handled it is going to not require any closure of any prisons," Sen. Jack Donahue (R-Covington).

“They shuffled some funding around, things the House didn’t consider,” Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa) said. “Money is back in the appropriations bill to fund keeping Rayburn open.”

The House had cut $27.5 million, roughly 5 percent of the total budget of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), earlier in the legislative session. Those proposed cuts prompted DOC Secretary James M. LeBlanc to send letters to the wardens of the five prisons, outlining the state's "layoff timetable" and setting July 17 as the employee termination date. The memo, which was published on wpnewsblog on Friday, June 3, caused widespread panic in Washington Parish.

"It would seem hard that with a 5 percent cut, it would trigger the closing of all these prisons," said Donahue, "but as they gave testimony, you could start to understand what some of the problems were. I believed them, so we did our best to try to restore those funds."

There are more than 300 employees at Rayburn — and the four other prisons have similar personnel counts. Rayburn must cut 46 positions before the start of fiscal year 2012 on July 1. Thus far, according prison officials, 31 slots have been eliminated through attrition

The Governor's Office said Wednesday they were working through the details of the Senate plan, but said they believe if the House approves it, the five prisons can be kept open.

The 2011 regular session of the Louisiana legislature ends Thursday, June 23.

Pollsters call to check Ritchie's standing

Harold Ritchie
D-Franklinton

Telephone pollsters were busy calling households in Louisiana House District 75 Wednesday night, and by the wording of the questions, they were checking to see whether voters were happy or not with State Rep. Harold Ritchie (D-Franklinton). In addition, there were a couple of questions regarding State Sen. Ben Nevers (D-Bogalusa).


Pollsters identified themselves as calling with a political poll and asked permission to conduct the 15-question call.


Among the questions (not worded verbatim):
   • Do you plan to vote in the upcoming election?
   • Do you have a very favorable, favorable, unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Bobby Jindal, Harold Ritchie, Ben Nevers, Barack Obama.
   • There is a proposal to sell state prisons to private contractors. would you be in favor or not? This question also posed several scenarios, both positive and negative, regarding privatization of prisons before the response was solicited.
   • There is a proposal to sell the Office of State Benefits to a Wall Street firm. Are you in favor or not? In this instance, there were no positive scenarios presented, only the problems associated with Wall Street and its bail-out.
   • Harold Ritchie voted for a 70 cents per pack tax increase on cigarettes, would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?
   • Harold Ritchie worked to gain (number was given) millions in tax credits for Louisiana families. Would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?
  • If the election were held today, would you vote for Harold Ritchie or consider someone else? The options were very likely, somewhat likely or not likely.
  • If the election were held today, would you vote for Ben Nevers or consider someone else? The options were very likely, somewhat likely or not likely.


Respondents were also asked to identify themselves as Democrat, Republican or other.


While there is no election this year involving Ritchie, he has come under intense scrutiny for his vote on HB 1, which includes wording that would result in the closing of five state prisons, including Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie.


Ritchie said he did not know the bill might force Rayburn's closing and the elimination of 350 jobs.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)

(This is a reader news tip story)