MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – A Brown County lawmaker made his pitch to close Green Bay Correctional Institution at a Senate committee hearing on Thursday.
Representative David Steffen’s plan calls for constructing a new, private prison elsewhere in Northeast Wisconsin.
Steffen believes the move could save the state $150-million dollars over ten years.
“Time is very big money, because we just put $22.2-million dollars in this budget that was approved to go into a facility that I think there isn’t a person in this room that doesn’t think should not be closed.”
Steffen says a recent study found the state would have to invest some $220-million dollars into upgrades at the 100-plus year old facility in the next decade.
“We’re going to continue to drive taxpayer money into a hole, so that’s why time is important.”
Steffen argues that now is right moment to act.
“We have so many problems. If we’re going to wait for this magic bullet to solve all of D.O.C’s problems, guess what…we’re going to be sitting around here when each of us has one marble rolling around trying to figure out this problem. We’re not going to be able to do it again. Then we’re going to pass it on to the next generation.”
The measure already received an Assembly committee hearing in May.
Steffen says the bill will likely need to get votes on the floors of both houses within the next 10-12 weeks for anything to happen with it during the current session.
