Abilene Reporter-News
AUSTIN - Texas prison officials warned Thursday that the 10 percent budget cut recommended by state leaders would cost thousands of jobs in the nation’s largest prison system and likely threaten public safety.
Department of Criminal Justice officials unveiled a roughly $6.3 billion proposed budget for fiscal 2014 and 2015, up from about $6.1 billion in the previous two-year spending cycle. Officials noted that the system is already short about 2,750 workers and competing with higher-salaried oil jobs in some parts of the state.
Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston said he was optimistic he could convince lawmakers, who will start working on the state budget in January, to fully fund the budget request.
“We will work hard to put the message out what the impacts will be,” he said during the Board of Criminal Justice meeting where the budget plan was unveiled.
Gov. Rick Perry and other top state officials have asked all state agencies to offer contingency plans with 10 percent cuts. But corrections officials said a 10 percent cut would eliminate 4,800 jobs, including 3,200 corrections officers and parole staff.
The legislative budget board, which keeps track of how much money lawmakers have to spend, will assess the plans and make recommendations later this year on the proposed budgets of various state agencies.
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