Thread by @JimmyJenkins

Coming up at 10:00 AM - House Appropriations Committee agenda includes HB2167, a bill that would create an independent ombudsman and oversight committee to monitor the Arizona Department of Corrections - Watch Live: azleg.gov/videoplayer/?c…

Background on HB2167 kjzz.org/content/165962…

Committee is live at this link azleg.gov/videoplayer/?c…

Here we HB2167 is being heard now

.@mmgillwriter of @FAMMFoundation again testifying in favor of the bill, cites other states who make use of prison oversight committees - tells committee about our reporting this morning on the software program kjzz.org/content/166098…

.@theWaltBlackman explains how his bill would create a new independent oversight committee

Rep. Blackman says "In order for use to be able to fix a broken system, we need to be able know what's going on." Blackman sites ours reporting: "There are folks sitting in DOC right now that should be let out - we're looking at lawsuits here."

Rep. Blackman: "The article today said there are over 100 inmates sitting in prison right now that have served their time and they are not able to let them out." Here is the story Rep. Blackman is citing: kjzz.org/content/166098…

The Committee Chairman said they asked the current state ombudsman to take on this task and she was told it was too big of a task

.@DrRandyFriese asked Rep. Blackman if this kind of oversight committee would have prevented the problems we detailed in our story about the software bug keeping inmates in prison beyond their release dates - Blackman said it would have

Rep. Kavanaugh is saying the bill is too broad, says the bill would be "Publicly paid advocacy against our Corrections Department" - Kavanaugh says he's worried the oversight committee would dig up dirt on ADC that attorneys could use to file lawsuits against state

Rep. Friese cites another one of our reports about inmates being charged for health care while they were in prison. "Inmates are human beings" Friese said, he advocates for the need of a citizens oversight committee kjzz.org/content/938136…

Rep. Fernandez also cites our reporting - brings up that the current software being used to manage inmates had more than 14,000 bugs - says she heard from constituents in 2020 that inmates were being held past their release dates

Rep. Friese thanks Rep. Blackman for bringing the bill - calls it a "human rights issue" - "There are many things that have gone astray in DOC that this kind of oversight committee would help us learn about earlier"

Rep Osborne said Blackman's bill has clearly hit a nerve, votes in favor

Rep. Cobb said there are a lot of things in the bill that need work, votes in favor

HB2167 Is approved with 10 in favor and 3 against