HB 2626 Summary

• Establishes a Correctional Oversight Committee consisting of 4 legislators (2 Senate, 2 House from different parties), 11 governor-appointed members including formerly incarcerated individuals, health professionals, advocates, and correctional staff representatives, plus 2 public members.

• Grants the committee authority to conduct unannounced biannual inspections of all correctional facilities, access all areas and records, interview inmates and staff confidentially, and issue subpoenas for records and testimony with court enforcement mechanisms.

• Committee must investigate complaints from inmates, family members, and staff regarding abuse, neglect, conditions of confinement, medical care, programming, visitation, and violations of inmate rights, with decisions rendered publicly and recommendations provided to the Department.

• Requires the committee to publish annual reports and facility-specific inspection reports to the Governor, Attorney General, legislature, and public, assigning facilities safety and compliance classifications (Tier 1-3) with inspection frequency timelines.

• Establishes secure complaint mechanisms including online forms, paper forms treated as privileged legal mail, family hotline, and inmate hotline free of Department monitoring, with protections against retaliation for complainants and staff who file complaints.