Committee hears concerns on H.2 over probation-enforcement, custody for 18‑year‑olds

Tucker Jones, an attorney with the Department of Public Safety, told the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 12 that the latest draft of H.2 raises several technical and substantive implementation questions, most notably the effective dates for provisions and how the bill would enforce probation violations without restarting cases in criminal court.

"I think you're trying to move the issues in the right direction here," Jones said, while urging clearer timing and mechanics around sections that the draft labels for later effective dates. He flagged that the probation‑violation provisions (sections 10–12) are written to take effect in 2027 and that the bill's "raise the age" delay appears to be set for 2025, not 2024, suggesting the committee confirm those dates in the draft.

Jones told the committee he is concerned that the bill's current remedy for violations—sending a matter back to the criminal division to be refiled and tried from the start—would be "problematic." He said starting a new criminal proceeding after a delinquency adjudication could create constitutional and practical…