State Rep. Matt Simpson’s (R-Daphne) bill requiring electronic ankle monitoring of prisoners on work release who were convicted of violent crimes passed the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The vote was 99-0. The estimated cost of instituting the program and buying the equipment is $2.9 million.

Simpson has said the bill, HB 151, will help prevent situations like the escape of convicted murderer Daniel Miner.

“With the monitoring set up by this bill, authorities would be able to track and find these escaped inmates immediately, which helps provide all of our communities security and peace of mind,” Simpson said in a statement after the legislation’s passage.

The legislation was altered on the floor by an amendment from Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) that made the language around who would be subjected to ankle monitoring more specific.

“I’m glad to see support for this legislation coming from both sides of the aisle,” Simpson remarked about the vote total.

HB 151 was co-sponsored by State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Semmes) and State Rep. Proncey Robertson (R- Mount Hope).

Simpson believes that the overwhelming support his bill has received is an indication that his ankle-monitoring idea “is a simple, common sense solution and something we should already be doing to help keep the people of Alabama safe.”

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.