Counties could get a little more money next year for housing state prisoners.
State lawmakers voted to cut the inmate reimbursement rate to counties in 2002 when faced with a budget crunch.
The increase approved last week by House and Senate budget negotiators still wouldn’t return the state funding to the 2002 level, but it would come close.
Counties would get $22 a day per prisoner beginning in July. That’s 50 cents less than the level from seven years ago.
County officials claim Missouri violated both the state constitution and a state law by reducing the payments.