Signed by Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends how medical services and postsecondary education offered to prison inmates is financed and administered, including requiring inmates to pay for 50 percent of the tuition costs, establishing copayments for medical services, and requiring inmates to pay for a fraction of the costs for medical service provided outside of the prison facility.

Highlights:

-Requires inmates participating in a postsecondary education program to pay 50 percent of tuition costs at the time of enrollment, or enter into a deferred payment plan established by the Department of Corrections and the Office of State Debt Collection which shall account for all tuition costs incurred by the inmate (Sec. 3). - Requires the Department of Corrections to pay the costs of postsecondary education not paid by the offender at the time of participation in the program from the Prison Telephone Surcharge Account (Sec. 3). -Specifies that only inmates lawfully present in the U.S. may participate in postsecondary education programs offered by the Department of Corrections (Sec. 3). -Establishes the following medical copayments that inmates are required to pay (Sec. 2):

-$5 for primary medical care; -$5 for dental care; and -$2 for prescription medication.

-Requires inmates to pay for 10 percent of the costs for medical services provided outside of the prison facility, provided that the inmates share of the costs do not exceed $2,000 per year (Sec. 2). -Requires inmates to pay the cost of all medical and dental care up to 20 percent of the inmates total determined asset value if their asset value exceeds $200,000, in addition to the required copayments (Sec. 2). -Requires the Department of Corrections to collaborate with the State Board of Education and the State Board of Regents in developing and implementing a recidivism reduction plan (Sec. 1). -Requires the Department of Corrections to collaborate with State Board of Education to contract with public and private agencies to provide educational and related administrative services, and requires them to contract with community colleges if the correctional facility is located within the region of a community college (Sec. 1). -This is a substitute bill sponsored by Sen. Carl Wimmer.

Full Bill Text