Proposal Would Set Overtime Pay for Miss. Prison Employees

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators are considering a change in the way prison employees are paid.

House Bill 435 (http://bit.ly/1zdq2Rw) says guards and other employees would be paid extra when they work overtime. Under the current system, they are supposed to receive compensatory time off later when they work extra hours.

Republican Rep. Dennis DeBar of Leakesville says people who work at South Mississippi Correctional Institution have told him it’s difficult to schedule comp time, and it often goes unused. He says overtime pay would help employees who are making little money.

The bill passed the House Corrections Committee on Wednesday. It moves to the House Appropriations Committee for more debate.