The bill amends Sections 14-6-42, 14-6-47, and 14-6-51 of the Code of Alabama 1975, concerning the funding and management of the feeding of prisoners in county jails. It outlines the state's financial responsibility for prisoner feeding, with an incremental increase in the per diem rate from $2.25 to $3.00 between 2024 and 2026. The bill also establishes the Prisoner Feeding Fund in the office of each sheriff, where all state monies received for prisoner feeding must be deposited and kept separate from other funds. The sheriff is required to maintain records of all payments and expenditures from this fund, which are subject to regular audits. Additionally, the bill allows for the use of other available funds, including those for feeding federal or municipal prisoners, to support the feeding of county jail prisoners.

The bill further details the creation and management of the Emergency Prisoner Feeding Fund, which is automatically appropriated $750,000 each fiscal year, starting in 2025, and is capped at a total accumulated amount of $1 million. This fund is available to counties in case of unforeseeable emergency cost overruns that deplete the Prisoner Feeding Fund. Applications for emergency funds must be jointly submitted by the county commission and sheriff and are subject to review by the Department of Finance. The bill increases the maximum amount a county can receive from the emergency fund to $50,000 per year, up from the previous $25,000. The act is set to become effective on June 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 14-6-42, 14-6-47, 14-6-51
Engrossed: 14-6-42, 14-6-47, 14-6-51
Enrolled: 14-6-42, 14-6-47, 14-6-51