By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
The field of possible outcomes for Medical Lake's Pine Lodge Corrections Center narrowed last week, when Gov. Chris Gregoire's state budget proposal was joined by a Senate plan on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Senate budget, developed by the Democratic majority and approved by a 25-19 vote, recommends the prison's population be reduced by 50 percent to 86 offenders by fiscal year 2011. This would eliminate 11 full time employee positions and would bring an estimated $1.3 million in savings. “The Department of Corrections is to evaluate options for incarcerating women from Eastern Washington counties in Eastern Washington,” the budget states.
The Senate assumes a savings of nearly $32 million when the Pine Lodge cuts are added to downsizing at McNeil Island Corrections Center and the closure of both Larch Corrections Center and Maple Lane School.
A House Democrat plan, which as of Tuesday had not had a full vote, follows Gregoire's latest budget proposal to close Pine Lodge outright. The plan estimates a savings of $11.6 million by closing the women's prison along with downsizing at McNeil Island and a unit at Larch, shuttering Ahtanum View Corrections Center and other DOC changes.
In a release issued last week by the Washington House Republicans, 7th District Representative Shelly Short and 9th District Rep. Joe Schmick spoke against the Democrats' proposal. “I just feel like our arguments and our statistics have fallen on deaf ears within the majority party and in the governor's office,” Schmick said in the release.
Schmick and Short have both been at the forefront of a group opposing the closure of Eastern Washington's sole women's prison since Gregoire first proposed the move as part of a larger cost-cutting strategy in December. Last week the two legislators met with the governor and DOC Secretary Eldon Vail to once again state the case for keeping Pine Lodge open.
In the House Republicans release, Schmick asked why the Democrats' proposal keeps Larch Corrections Center open while Pine Lodge is slated for closure. “I'm very curious to know what kind of formula was used to make the decision to keep Larch open,” Schmick said. “They are a mirror image in many ways to Pine Lodge. Was the decision political? Was it based on data that we haven't seen yet? There are still questions out there that need to be answered before we close the book on Pine Lodge.”
A consensus between the House, Senate and governor budget plans must be agreed upon soon, as the 60-day legislative session is scheduled to end next Thursday, March 11.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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