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Subcommittee moves to make Family Sentencing Alternative permanent, funds program and annual reporting
Summary
The Public Safety Subcommittee adopted an amendment to remove the sunset for the Family Sentencing Alternative Pilot Program, appropriated $2,648,236 general fund and reapproved one Department of Corrections position, and moved House Bill 2555 as amended to the full Ways and Means committee with a due-pass recommendation.
House Bill 2555, which would make permanent the Family Sentencing Alternative Pilot Program first created by House Bill 3503 in 2015, was amended and moved out of the Public Safety Subcommittee on a due-pass recommendation.
The measure removes the program's sunset date, adds flexibility on eligibility timing and requires the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services to submit a joint annual report on program outcomes. An amendment (the dash a6) appropriates $2,648,236 in general fund to continue current service levels and reauthorizes one Department of Corrections position that supports the program.
A staff presentation to the subcommittee summarized the program's purpose: offering eligible parents supervision and treatment in community corrections rather than incarceration. The staff presentation said the program diverts participants from Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities to community corrections supervision and that overall costs decline compared with incarceration, while community-corrections costs increase and are addressed in the appropriation.
Representative Lewis asked about the effect on community corrections and whether the budget accounted for additional caseload; staff responded that participants are already on the community corrections caseload when they enter the program and that the appropriation in the amendment covers community corrections costs. Senator Brock Smith noted that the amendment continues funding at current service levels with only inflationary increases expected.
Several legislators on the subcommittee voiced bipartisan support for keeping the program in place and for the annual reporting requirement, which members said will allow the legislature to track outcomes such as recidivism. The subcommittee adopted the dash a6 amendment by unanimous voice consent and then moved the bill to the full committee with a due-pass recommendation.
The bill now goes to the full Ways and Means committee for further consideration; the subcommittee directed that the annual reporting requirement will return data to the legislature on the program's effectiveness.
