83-145. Department of Correctional Services-made goods; use; by whom; exchange of goods with other states; sales authorized.

All departments, institutions, and agencies of this state which are supported in whole or in part by taxation for state purposes and all counties and other political subdivisions of this state shall purchase from the Department of Correctional Services all articles required by them produced, printed, or manufactured by offenders confined in facilities of the Department of Correctional Services, or elsewhere, including products of any farms operated by the department unless such articles of equal quality and materials could be purchased from another supplier at a lesser cost. The quality and materials must be certified as being equal by the materiel division of the Department of Administrative Services. No such article shall be purchased by any department, institution, or agency of the state from any other source unless excepted from the provisions of this section as provided in sections 83-144 to 83-152. Printing by offenders shall be restricted to such as may be required at the various institutions under the jurisdiction of the department and such other printing requirements as may be determined by the materiel division of the Department of Administrative Services pursuant to subdivision (3) of section 81-1118. No products of any institutional printing plant, other than that used by departments, institutions, agencies, and other political subdivisions of the state, shall be sold in competition with outside labor. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the department from exchanging Department of Correctional Services-made goods with other states. Goods received from divisions of corrections outside of Nebraska shall be of the same status and will be subject to the same restrictions and penalties as if they had been manufactured in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. In cases of exchange of Department of Correctional Services-made goods with other states, the department is authorized to pay or receive in cash any differences that may exist in the articles exchanged, the amounts paid or received to be charged or credited to the Correctional Industries Revolving Fund. In exchange of Department of Correctional Services-made goods with other states, the goods received in exchange shall be restricted to such use and needs as may be required in the various institutions under the jurisdiction of the department. Any authorized agency, bureau, commission, or department of the federal government or any charitable, fraternal, or nonprofit corporation may purchase from the Department of Correctional Services goods produced or manufactured by offenders confined in facilities of the Department of Correctional Services, or elsewhere, including products of any farms operated by the department.

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