Bill > H5274

This bill establishes the "Residence of Individuals in Government Custody Act," which requires the Department of Corrections to collect and maintain electronic records of the legal residence and demographic data for individuals entering state custody after January 1, 2026. Starting May 1 of each year, the department must report this information to the Secretary of State, including the incarceration facility's address, the person's last known address, race, Hispanic/Latino origin, and age. The bill addresses a longstanding issue where the census traditionally counts incarcerated individuals as residents of their place of detention rather than their home addresses. The Secretary of State is mandated to use this data to adjust redistricting population counts, ensuring that incarcerated individuals are represented at their residential addresses. Importantly, the data will be treated confidentially, with no names disclosed, and will be used specifically for redistricting purposes for state legislative districts and local government districts. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to analyze and publish the completeness of these records annually and explicitly states that this data cannot be used for distributing state or federal aid. The legislation aims to more accurately represent population distribution by accounting for individuals' true home addresses while they are in government custody.

Government Affairs

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