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SB126

Alaska SB126: Prison Placement and Cost Savings

Last scannedSep 22, 2026, 12:32 AM

In one sentence

This bill allows the commissioner of corrections to lower housing costs by combining facilities or placing prisoners out of state, while requiring a yearly report on estimated savings.

What it does

  • Allows the commissioner to investigate ways to reduce prison housing costs.
  • Permits consolidating existing correctional facilities into fewer locations.
  • Authorizes placing prisoners in facilities located outside of Alaska.
  • Requires that prisoners with more than seven years left on their sentence be housed separately from non-Alaska residents if sent out of state.
  • Mandates the Department of Corrections to estimate yearly cost savings and report them as part of its annual submission.

Who it affects

  • The Commissioner of Corrections
  • Prisoners in Alaska correctional facilities
  • The Department of Corrections

Limits and unknowns

  • The bill does not specify which out-of-state facilities can be used.
  • It is unclear how much money will actually be saved until the department makes its estimate.
  • The legislature may choose to appropriate savings for education, but it is not required to do so.

Plain language

Terms to know

Commissioner of Corrections
The official who leads the state agency that runs prisons.
Out-of-state facility
A prison or jail located in a different state than Alaska.

Official record

Sources

Source checked
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text
Read the official summary

CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES; PLACEMENT An Act relating to correctional facilities; relating to the authority of the commissioner of corrections to designate the placement of prisoners; and requiring the Department of Corrections to estimate and report certain cost savings.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (S) Heard & HeldText
  2. (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532Text
  3. (S) REFERRED TO FINANCE1870
  4. (S) FN1: ZERO(COR)1870
  5. (S) NR: GRAY-JACKSON, BJORKMAN, TILTON1870
  6. (S) AM: KAWASAKI, WIELECHOWSKI1870
  7. (S) STA RPT 2AM 3NR1870
  8. (S) Moved SB 126 Out of CommitteeText
  9. (S) STATE AFFAIRS at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  10. (S) Minutes (SSTA)Min
  11. (S) Scheduled but Not HeardText
  12. (S) STATE AFFAIRS at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  13. (S) Minutes (SSTA)Min
  14. (S) Heard & HeldText
  15. (S) STATE AFFAIRS at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  16. (S) Minutes (SSTA)Min
  17. (S) Heard & HeldText
  18. (S) STATE AFFAIRS at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  19. (S) STA, FIN490
  20. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS490