Bill > HB572

This bill revises Montana's Correctional Enterprises (MCE) prison industries training program to expand and enhance opportunities for inmates. The legislation requires the program to include educational programming and directs the Department of Corrections to collaborate with labor unions and building trades representatives to develop a preapprenticeship training program. The bill increases the maximum allowable sum for inmate-performed construction projects from $200,000 to $600,000, with the stipulation that these projects can only be constructed on Montana state prison grounds. Additionally, the bill allows MCE to provide vocational programs that support private market demand and eliminates previous requirements for products and services to be provided through specific contracts and dealer networks. The legislation also modifies language around inmate wages, work programs, and participation in federally certified prison industries programs, with the goal of better preparing inmates for successful reentry into the workforce upon release. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage and approval, with the preapprenticeship training program section set to terminate on December 30, 2026.