Committee approves uniform visitation dress code and protections for religious attire

The subcommittee approved a substituted and amended version of House Bill 296 to create uniform standards for visitation dress and protect visitors’ religious attire and rights.

Sponsor Delegate Siebold said the bill addresses arbitrarily enforced dress codes that have caused visitors to be turned away. The substitute requires facilities to post a single objective statewide dress code online and in facility lobbies, protects religious attire, requires senior review and written explanations for denied visits, and prohibits using refusal to consent to a strip or body-cavity search as a basis for permanent visitation bans. The bill also requires annual reporting to the General Assembly.

Multiple witnesses, including formerly incarcerated people and higher-education faculty who were turned away or had students turned away on visits, supported the bill. Department of Corrections operations staff acknowledged inconsistent past practice on searches and emphasized the need for consistent training and posted standards.

Senators added a friendly amendment to include representatives from LGBTQ equality organizations among stakeholder advocates; that amendment was adopted. The committee reported the bill as amended (Ayes 15, Nays 0). The sponsor and supporters framed the measure as a practical step to reduce traumatic denials of visitation for families.