Committee approves 5% corrections pay raise and an amendment to extend it to private prisons

The Senate Public Safety Committee voted to advance SB1035 with an amendment that extends a proposed 5% pay increase to employees of private prisons that house inmates under contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR).

Sponsor President Peterson described the bill as a top budget priority for the session and said the 5% increase is intended to be part of broader budget deliberations. Barry DeFeo, executive president of the Arizona Correction Association, urged larger pay increases and flagged retention and vacancy problems, telling the committee that "starting pay for correctional officer is 45,600 per year" and arguing that a 25% increase would better address staffing shortages.

Committee members questioned the fiscal impact and whether funds allocated for private-prison employee raises would reach workers rather than operating margins. A representative for CoreCivic, Scott Smith, said historically the legislature has included private partners in pay plans to maintain parity and that footnotes in budget language typically direct funds to pay increases; he acknowledged a drafting omission and said CoreCivic would work to incorporate language ensuring funds go to salaries. A GEO Group representative described contract amendments as the mechanism to allocate funds specifically for raises.

Labor and law-enforcement witnesses including the Arizona Police Association opposed folding private operators into the bill, saying private employers should pursue their own bills if they want pay increases. The committee adopted the 11-line Payne amendment to include private prison employees and then moved the bill as amended. By roll call the committee recorded 4 ayes and 3 nos and gave SB1035 a due-pass recommendation.

Committee members asked staff to provide a fiscal note (including the impact of the amendment) before floor action; several senators said they would reconsider their position if a footnote or floor amendment were added to ensure dollars are directed to employee pay.