BATON ROUGE -- A bill to raise the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates advanced with broad bipartisan support Tuesday, as Louisiana lawmakers seek to ease financial pressure on local correctional facilities while acknowledging the increase still falls short of covering true costs.
House Bill 143, authored by Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, would increase the per diem rate paid to local correctional facilities that house state inmates from $26.39 to $29.39 beginning in Fiscal Year 2027-28. The bill moved through the House Appropriations Committee with no opposition.
The bill carries a fiscal note of approximately $17 million, though Bacala said the measure is largely intended to align existing appropriations with statutory requirements, noting the increase has already been effectively budgeted for Fiscal Year 2026-27.
The discussion centers on the growing role of local correctional facilities, often overseen by parish sheriffs, which have expanded inmate programming in recent years to include GED education, technical training, and work-release opportunities. Reimbursement rates from the state have not kept pace with those expanded responsibilities.
"This bill doesn't even pay them a fair rate. It just pays them a more fair rate," Bacala said.
Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, voiced support for the measure and suggested additional increases may be considered as budget conditions allow.
