John Whitmire

State Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston, will testify before a Senate committee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to express his support of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's federal bill allowing the jamming of cell phone signals within prison facilities.

After receiving several calls from a Texas death row inmate on his cell phone in fall of 2009, Whitmire called for an investigation and statewide prison lockdown that let to the discovery of hundreds of inmate cell phones.

"The incident in Texas has proven that it is extremely difficult to stop all contraband in our prisons," said Whitmire. "If allowing the jamming of cell phone signals prevents another person from going through what I went through, then I sincerely hope the wireless companies will work with Congress to pass federal legislation allowing prisons to block cell phone signals within their walls."

Senator Whitmire is scheduled to appear at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 15th before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation chaired by Senator Rockefeller.

1 Comments

David Carroll said:

How can Whitmire recieve a call in the fall of 2009 when it is not here yet. Should you have said 2008.;

August 9, 2009 6:49 PM

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