Our Senate committee assignments were finalized today and I wanted to share them with you. You already know I will co-chair the Human Services and Corrections committee, but I will also serve on the Transportation committee, the Law and Justice committee (formerly Judiciary), and the Rules committee. That's the committee that decides which bills to move from one calendar to another and which ones make it to the Senate floor for a full vote by the body.
As
for the bills I'm working on for session - besides looking at
overhauling the state mental health system - I'll also be looking at what should be done with McNeil Island.
I recently met with committee and policy staff to address the issue.
One thing of note is that I was originally told that reopening the
prison would cost between $50 and $80 million (figures I used in my most
recent telephone town hall instant-poll, if you participated). I've now learned that reopening the prison could cost between $160 and $180 million.
The reason for the jump in estimated cost is that the McNeil facility
was subjected to a "cold shutdown" (essentially abandoned). Had the
state performed a "warm shutdown" and continued to maintain some bare
bones operations like minimal heat and maintenance, we might be looking
at a reduced reopening cost. Still, the cost is cheaper than building a
new $250 million dollar facility somewhere else in the state, but there
are other things that factor in as well.One of the biggest questions is whether shutting down the McNeil Island prison leaves us in violation of the state's original land agreement with the federal government. There remains the possibility that the feds could require the state to abandon all facilities on the island, which would result in the exorbitant cost of relocating the Special Committment Center somewhere on the mainland (but not at Western State Hospital, if I have anything to say about it). I've asked staff to get me an estimate of the real cost to the state if McNeil isn't warmed back up again and repaired and I'll share that with you when I receive it.
In closing...
Because of the holiday season, I won't be sending you another Kitchen Cabinet until after the new year. I'll be going into more detail in that next edition about my bills for the 2013 session. In the meantime, a big priority for me is getting your feedback as often as possible. It is one of the best tools I have to help me better represent you. I value your opinion highly and want to create these updates in a format that works best for you. As always, if you would like to contact me you can write, phone, e-mail, or stop by. It remains my honor to serve you in the Washington State Senate. Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Mike Carrell
State Senator, 28th District
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