Bill Text: NJ S1771 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires lowest possible price not exceeding certain cap for inmate telephone calls.*

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-11 - Substituted by A4576 (ACS/1R) [S1771 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2014-S1771-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1771

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

216th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 17, 2014

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  SHIRLEY K. TURNER

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires lowest possible price not exceeding certain cap for intrastate inmate telephone calls.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on June 11, 2015, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning inmate telephone charges and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes. 

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  All telephone service contracts for inmates in State ¹or county¹ correctional facilities shall be subject to the procurement provisions set forth in chapter 34 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes; provided, however, the State Treasurer ¹or appropriate person on behalf of the county correctional facility¹ shall contract with the qualified vendor who proposes the lowest per minute rate not exceeding ¹[21 cents] the maximum rate allowed by the Federal Communications Commission for interstate calls¹ for debit ¹[and] ,¹ prepaid ¹[calls or 24 cents for] , and¹ collect calls and who does not impose a surcharge ¹or collect a commission¹ for each telephone call.   

     b.  A State department ¹or county¹ shall not accept or receive revenue in excess of its actual operating cost for establishing and administering telephone services as provided in subsection a. of this section. 

 

     2.    a.  The Department of Corrections ¹and each county correctional facility¹ shall make available either a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination thereof, for telephone services for inmates.

     b.    Under a prepaid system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, provided that nothing in this section shall require the department ¹or county¹ to provide or administer a prepaid system. 

     c.  For the purposes of this section, a "collect call system" shall mean a call system pursuant to which recipients are billed for the cost of an accepted telephone call initiated by an inmate. 

     d.  The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, shall permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of  those collect calls. 

 

     3.    The department shall establish rules and regulations or departmental procedures to ensure that any inmate telephone call system established by this act provides reasonable security measures to preserve the safety and security of each State ¹and county¹ correctional facility, staff member, and person outside a facility who may receive inmate telephone calls. 

 

     4.    This act shall take effect immediately and section 1 shall apply to any new or renewal contract for inmate telephone services in effect on or after April 10, 2015.