Democrats, Republicans swap roles in state prison funding fuss

Saturday, July 16th 2005, 7:37 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- In a reversal of roles from a decade ago, Democrats are keeping up the pressure on Republicans to reconvene in special session and approve a plan to bolster prison security.

In 1995, it was former GOP Gov. Frank Keating who pushed for special session funding for prisons "to keep us from vicious, violent offenders," while some Senate Democratic leaders objected.

Now, alarmed by prison staff shortages and growing inmate unrest, Democratic Gov. Brad Henry and members of the Senate Democratic majority are leading the charge for hiring more guards and paying them more money.

Figures from the Department of Corrections show the prison guard staff is more than 600 below the amount authorized.

Republican House Speaker Todd Hiett, however, has said he is not convinced a special session is warranted.

Last week, Senate Democrats announced a plan to spend $10.6 million to hire more guards and give them a pay increase of about $3,400 a year.

Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, said he hopes Hiett eventually will go along and agree to reconvene a special session Henry originally called on workers' compensation reform.

"I will give him some time to evaluate our proposal," Morgan said. "It is my understanding that the House may be working on their own plan."

Morgan and other Democrats have warned that a management crisis exists in state prisons because of low staffing levels, contributing to a recent brawl at a Granite prison that left one inmate dead. Several inmates have been injured in other prison disturbances this year and one was killed at a private prison.

The concern is that the prison unrest will accelerate as the summer grows hotter, putting prison personnel and the public at risk.

"This is one of those areas where we shouldn't wait for a disaster to act," Morgan said. "We do that too often...If we don't do something and there is a terrible tragedy -- someone loses their life or is injured before February -- we would be sitting around here saying, 'Why didn't we act."'

Under the plan developed by Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, 150 more prison guards and 54 more probation officers would be hired this year. The number of additional guards eventually would increase by 450. The total cost of the package would be $20.5 million for a full year.

There has been little serious discussion of the merits of the plan, which also calls for prison efficiencies and a change in the treatment of mentally ill patients and some drug offenders.

Senate Republicans said Democrats are merely trying to bolster their image in the public safety area.

Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, chided Democrats for "putting on Halloween masks and pretending" they were guards during a tour of the state prison at McAlester.

Corn said the remark was offensive to prison guards. He said prisons "are scary places, but Trebilcock would not know."

Corn, who is chairman of the Senate budget panel that handles prison budgets, said he spoke up for more prison funding during the session, but got no support from Trebilcock and other Republicans.

Unless Hiett changes his mind, the chances of any funding plan passing a special session are nil.

But Corn said he believes the Senate will return in special session anyway to make a point and give the House the opportunity to respond. "I think the Senate will act," he said.

Morgan said "that is a possibility," but he hoped an agreement can be worked out. "The reasons I've heard for not doing this are just excuses," he said. "I think it would be a dereliction of duty not to act."

Hiett and Trebilcock said they do not understand what has changed since the Legislature adjourned in late May that warrants rewriting the prison budget.

House Democrats said they brought the prison budget problem to the attention of GOP leaders in early May after the Oklahoma Public Employees Associated sounded warnings of severe prison staffing problems. At the time, corrections officials were seeking an extra $12 million to carry it through the fiscal year that started July 1.

Morgan said the agency needs an immediate financial boost so it can begin ramping up the process of hiring more guards. He said if lawmakers wait until February, it probably be March before the hiring can be accelerated.

Finance officials say $28 million is available for legislators to appropriate at a special session.

Henry also wants lawmakers to consider funding centennial projects at the special session, but has made it clear that prisons is his top priority.

"With the plan we've proposed, there are significant dollars left for appropriation," Morgan said.