PRINTER'S NO. 1663
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1224
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY CAPPELLETTI, HAYWOOD, FONTANA, SAVAL, COSTA, KANE,
BREWSTER, SCHWANK AND MUTH, MAY 31, 2024
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, MAY 31, 2024
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, in miscellaneous provisions relating
3 to official visitation, providing for communications services
4 for inmates in State or county correctional institutions.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Title 61 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
8 Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
9 § 5912. Communications services for inmates in State or county
10 correctional institutions.
11 (a) Requirements.--The department and counties shall provide
12 to all persons in their custody and confined in a State
13 correctional institution or a county correctional institution,
14 as applicable, with voice communication services as follows:
15 (1) The department and counties must maintain no less
16 than the access to voice and other communication services as
17 was allowed by them on January 1, 2023.
18 (2) The department and counties must maintain a ten to
19 one ratio of persons in custody to operable voice
 1 communication devices in each housing unit or recreational
2 yard with at least two voice communication devices inside
3 each housing unit.
4 (b) Optional additional communications services.--The
5 department and any county may voluntarily supplement the voice
6 communication service with other communication services,
7 including, but not limited to, video communication and
8 electronic mail or messaging services.
9 (c) Prohibition on fees and charges.--Any voice
10 communication service or other communication service shall be
11 provided free of charge to any inmate and any service, whether
12 initiated or received through any voice communication service or
13 other communication service, shall be free of charge to the
14 person initiating or receiving the communication.
15 (d) Prohibition on revenue and commissions.--The department
16 and counties shall be prohibited from charging any inmate for
17 use of or access to any communication service, device or system.
18 (e) Prohibition of replacing visits.--Communications
19 services shall not be used to replace any in-person visit
20 program and nothing in this section shall authorize or permit
21 the department or county to limit or prohibit in-person contact
22 visits.
23 (f) Funds.--
24 (1) For fiscal year 2024-2025 and each fiscal year
25 thereafter, the General Assembly shall appropriate the sum of
26 $16,500,000 in addition to any funds deposited in the
27 department's general government operations, for the purpose
28 of supporting the cost of providing communications services
29 to inmates in State or county correctional institutions.
30 (2) The appropriation and additional funds shall not be
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 1 used for indirect expenses related to the provision of
2 communications services to inmates in State or county
3 correctional institutions and are only eligible for invoiced
4 expenses from a communication service vendor.
5 (3) Any additional funds appropriated to the department
6 for the supplemental allocation shall be allocated annually
7 as follows:
8 (i) 70% to the department; and
9 (ii) 30% to counties, allocated to each county on a
10 proportional basis calculated on a per capita inmate
11 population in county correctional institutions.
12 (g) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
13 words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
14 subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
15 "Other communication services." Communication services other
16 than voice communication services, including, but not limited
17 to, video calls and electronic messages.
18 "Voice communication services." Real-time, audio-only
19 communication services, namely telephone calls made over
20 wireline telephony, voice over Internet protocol or any other
21 technology infrastructure.
22 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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