Prison funding bill goes to South Dakota House for debate

PIERRE, SD (KELO.com) — Another committee hearing, and the prison funding bill is still alive.  The Legislature’s Joint Appropriations committee heard another hour of testimony this morning on a proposal to build an 825-million dollar men’s penitentiary in Lincoln County.  That’s the guaranteed maximum price for the new prison, which will require about 20-million dollars more to operate each year.  The package came to the Appropriations Committee without a funding amount, and without a recommendation.  Rapid City Representative Mike Derby sent it to the House floor the same way.

The full House will debate the proposal Friday afternoon.