House Bill 1817

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HM 1817

        By Representative Crady






  1                          House Memorial

  2         A memorial to the Congress of the United

  3         States, urging Congress to adopt legislation to

  4         end the practice of denying old-age and

  5         survivors insurance benefit payments and

  6         Medicare and Medicaid benefits to prisoners and

  7         certain other individuals confined at public

  8         expense and to provide for payment of such

  9         benefits directly to the institutions

10         responsible for housing such individuals.

11

12         WHEREAS, the Federal Government has prohibited monthly

13  old-age and survivors insurance benefit payments, as well as

14  Medicare and Medicaid payments, to any individual currently

15  confined in a jail, prison, or other penal institution or

16  correctional facility for conviction of an offense punishable

17  by imprisonment for more than one year, or to any individual

18  who is confined by a court order in an institution at public

19  expense as a result of a finding of incompetency, insanity, or

20  mental defect in connection with an offense punishable by

21  imprisonment for more than one year, and

22         WHEREAS, the State of Florida recognizes the fact that

23  daily subsistence costs and medical treatment costs for

24  incarcerated offenders in the correctional system are a great

25  burden to the taxpayers of the state, and consequently the

26  state currently directs certain prisoners to pay for all or a

27  fair portion of their daily subsistence and certain medical

28  costs, and

29         WHEREAS, the Federal Government has prohibited

30  incarcerated individuals who have lawfully paid federal

31

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HM 1817

    209-241-00






  1  employment taxes from receiving benefits to which they are

  2  entitled, and

  3         WHEREAS, federal denial of such benefit payments forces

  4  states to fund housing and medical costs for these individuals

  5  who otherwise would be entitled to receive such funds, and

  6         WHEREAS, this federal denial of the payment of old-age

  7  and survivors insurance benefit payments and Medicare and

  8  Medicaid payments is an erosion of the principle of states'

  9  rights and the rights of individuals, the effect of which

10  forces states to spend increasing portions of their budgets on

11  correctional systems, and

12         WHEREAS, the State of Florida, along with other states,

13  would be better able to fulfill its budgetary obligations if

14  the Federal Government would allow such payments to be made

15  directly to the institutions responsible for housing such

16  individuals, and

17         WHEREAS, the denial by the Federal Government of the

18  payment of old-age and survivors insurance benefit payments

19  and Medicare and Medicaid payments to prisoners and other

20  individuals housed in publicly funded institutions is a

21  Congressional infringement upon the rights to which all

22  citizens are entitled, and

23         WHEREAS, the payment of old-age and survivors insurance

24  benefit payments and Medicare and Medicaid payments owed to

25  prisoners and other individuals housed in publicly funded

26  institutions directly to the institutions responsible for

27  housing such individuals would aid significantly in decreasing

28  state correctional system budget expenditures and lessen a

29  burden on the taxpayers of the state, NOW, THEREFORE,

30

31  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HM 1817

    209-241-00






  1         That the Congress of the United States is requested to

  2  adopt legislation to end the practice of denying old-age and

  3  survivors insurance benefit payments and Medicare and Medicaid

  4  payments to prisoners and certain other individuals housed in

  5  publicly funded institutions and to provide for payment of

  6  such benefits directly to the institutions responsible for

  7  housing such individuals.

  8         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this memorial be dispatched

  9  to the President of the United States, the President of the

10  United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House

11  of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida

12  delegation to the United States Congress.

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  3