FISCAL NOTE

House Bill 2 (Act 2021-549) as enacted provides that the current provisions regarding certain inmates nearing the end of their sentence to be released by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to the supervision of the Board of Pardons and Paroles (Board) is applicable regardless of when the defendant was sentenced or committed the crime, which would decrease the obligations of DOC by an undetermined amount, dependent upon the number of inmates that are released per the provisions of this act.

Further, this act would increase the obligations of DOC by: (1) an estimated $297,000 annually to provide non-driver identification cards, in conjunction with the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), assuming DOC is required to pay the $36.25 cost of a non-driver identification card to ALEA; and (2) an estimated $123,000 annually, assuming DOC is required to pay the $15 Vital Records search fee to the Department of Public Health to provide birth certificates to inmates.

Finally, according to the Board, this act would increase the obligations of the Board by an estimated $43,000 per month, beginning in fiscal year 2023, to electronically monitor an estimated 400 inmates released into the custody of the Board.