HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 406        FILED ON: 1/13/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1614

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Benjamin Swan

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to telephone service for inmates in all correctional and other penal institutions in the Commonwealth.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden

1/13/2015

Gloria L. Fox

7th Suffolk

1/29/2015

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

1/30/2015

Ellen Story

3rd Hampshire

1/16/2015

Carlos Gonzalez

10th Hampden

1/26/2015

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

9/25/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 406        FILED ON: 1/13/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1614

By Mr. Swan of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1614) of Benjamin Swan and others relative to telephone service for inmates in correctional institutions.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1641 OF 2013-2014.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to telephone service for inmates in all correctional and other penal institutions in the Commonwealth.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 87 of Chapter 127 of Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended to include “correspondence of, and telephone service for inmates”. The following subsections are hereby added:—

The cost of local and long distance telephone service provided to prisoners in department of correction facilities and county houses of correction shall be the same as the rates charged for comparable residential telephone service.

            (b) The department of correction and county houses of correction shall negotiate contracts for local and long distance telephone service on the basis of offering the lowest cost to users.            (c) The commonwealth, the department of correction, and the county houses of correction shall not accept commissions or revenues, nor receive any telephone services for their employees at below market rate cost from the provider(s) of prisoner telephone service.