PANEL CLOSES work without vote on prison beds.

Faced with overpopulation at prisons, the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday weighed the need to add more prison beds.

Then, without taking a vote on legislation related to the matter, the committee gaveled out for the final time in the 2017 regular session.

A committee special order of business was Senate Bill 177 by Sen. Bryan King, R- Green Forest, that would extend prison stays for serial offenders. SB177, approved by the Senate, prompted Gov. Asa Hutchinson to issue a rare veto threat after it was determined the legislation would add thousands of prisoners — at a cost of $ 692 million — over 10 years.

Prison officials trekked to the Legislature to oppose the bill, saying they had neither the space nor funding to house inmates held for a longer time, and that no one had promised them additional resources.

Faced with the veto threat and no plan to fund his bill, King presented it to the committee, but asked that it not receive a vote. He promised to continue working on a plan to toughen sentences for repeat offenders, while criticizing Hutchinson’s criminal- justice policies as failing.

What to do about Arkansas’ overcapacity prisons has vexed lawmakers in recent years.

After completing a twoyear study, lawmakers passed legislation earlier in the session to limit prison stays for probation and parole violators, while also approving funding aimed at aiding mentally ill offenders.

That legislation, now Act 423 of 2017, was derided by King as a recycling of failed policies. Proponents said it would reduce the need for about 1,600 beds.

Arkansas has had one of the fastest- growing prison populations in recent years, and the number is projected to grow in the next several years, even if Act 423 decreases the number of people locked up. In a meeting before the start of the session, prison officials relayed their concerns to lawmakers.

The Department of Correction had requested $ 39.2 million to add 576 beds to the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, but the request wasn’t included in the general revenue budget proposed by the governor and Legislature.

Prison spokesman Solomon Graves asked for “meaningful discussion” about prison expansion.

Rep. Charlene Fite, R- Van Buren, suggested that imposing tougher penalties could deter crime and reduce the prison population.

“That may very well work for some, but we as an agency have to prepare for the impact it will have from the people who this does not deter,” Graves said.

The next regular session of the Legislature is scheduled for 2019.