Bill > A1874

Introduced Session

This bill requires each existing correctional facility be retrofitted with air conditioning within three years of this act becoming effective. Construction of new correctional facilities, in accordance with this bill, will require installation of an air conditioning system. The Commissioner of Corrections would be required to ensure that the heat index or "feels like" temperature does not exceed 85 degrees. The commissioner is required to record and report the daily maximum temperature inside each facility, and include this data in the annual reports of the Department of Corrections and the Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson, which are to be made available on their official websites. In the sponsor's view, excessive heat and lack of air conditioning put the elderly, those with health conditions such as high blood pressure and mental health issues at a higher risk. According to the sponsor, the Department of Corrections has current protocols in place to address excess heat which are initiated when temperatures exceed 85 degrees. The sponsor's intent is to have correctional facilities maintain indoor temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees. The bill clarifies that the reference to 85 degrees refers to the heat index or "how hot it feels" rather than the recorded air temperature.

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Committee Categories

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*,  Annette Quijano (D),  Michael Venezia (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document