The executive director of the Texas prison system reported to his governing board at a meeting in Bryan that the recently completed regular session of the Texas legislature was the most successful in the agency’s history.
Bryan Collier said “I thought I said that last session and I thought that would be it. But this session was truly even better”, as the agency received more than $1.8 billion dollars in new funding.
Click below to hear some of Bryan Collier’s comments from the June 26, 2025 Texas board of criminal justice meeting in Bryan:
Collier also said “Our sunset legislation went through the House and Senate without a hitch and the funding decisions made by legislative leadership will help our agency make substantial improvements over the next two years.”
The funding decisions included:
- Funding for a 15 percent pay increase for Parole Officers and a 10 percent pay increase for Correctional Officers.
- 20 million dollars to help increase salaries for targeted positions that are currently difficult to fill due to their current pay.
- 71.4 million dollars in new funding for probation to help with salaries, increased costs for contracted services and pre-trial services.
- Funding for continued TCOOMMI services and additional dual diagnosis beds.
- The funding for seven of the eight private prisons was moved to reflect the legislative intent for the agency to operate those facilities. The East Texas Treatment Center will remain privately operated but the Bradshaw, Bridgeport, Coleman, Kyle, Lindsay, Moore, and Willacy units will be operated by the Correctional Institutions Division on September 1st.
- Funding for a new learning management system, training center equipment, 50 new training sergeants and staff for employee support services.
- Significant enhancements to our major repair funding to include 118 million for the addition of approximately 18,000 more air-conditioned beds.
- Our full request for vehicle replacement funding.
- Funding for IT projects to include the new CITS system, CAPPS integrated solutions to address gaps in the CAPPS system, broadband expansion, additional IT support positions, telephone system upgrades, video surveillance replacements and funding for inmate phone system security features.
- Funding to construct an officer dorm in Amarillo.
- Funding to construct 5600 new expansion dorm beds.
- Funding to purchase the Dalby Correctional Facility in Post, Texas.
- Funding for the Office of Inspector General’s Crime Management System.