Senate committee continues Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, asks for follow-up after lapsing fund and federal-grant delays

The Arizona Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee voted to recommend continuation of the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) but asked for follow-up on several implementation and funding issues, including an unspent $1 million appropriation for a multi‑county reentry database and delays in deploying a COSSAP grant for opioid-response work.

ACJC Director Andrew Lefevre briefed the committee on the commission’s mission, funding and recent work. He described ACJC as a 21-member body that distributes federal and state funds, produces criminal-justice data and supports victim services, drug and gang task forces and systems-improvement projects.

Lefevre told senators the commission received roughly $207.8 million in revenue across the period since the last sunset review, and that ACJC passes about 87% of funds it receives directly through to local and state programs rather than retaining them for internal operation. He said the commission now operates with fewer staff than in 2016 but has invested in technology to increase efficiency.

Two issues raised in the House committee carried over to the Senate hearing: first, an appropriation intended to begin building a multi-jurisdiction reentry database could not be spent before the one-year lapse period ended and the $1 million returned to the general fund; second, a federal COSSAP (Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program) grant required extensive federal special-condition clearance before funds could be released, delaying the grant competition and awards.

Lefevre said the reentry-database project was envisioned as a multi‑year, roughly $3.5 million effort developed with county sheriffs; ACJC staff believed the appropriation would be available over multiple years but learned the money would lapse at year-end and could not be carried forward. He said the project also required the state IT approval process before development could proceed, and because those approvals could not be completed in time the agency stopped work and the appropriation lapsed back to the general fund.

On the COSSAP grant, Lefevre described federal administrative steps that delayed the program. ACJC received notice of award on Dec. 17, 2021, but the federal office required documentation and clearance of more than 50 special conditions. ACJC submitted materials and received final federal approval to obligate funds in January 2023; after the federal clearance ACJC issued a solicitation in November, closed applications in December, and executed grant agreements in late January. Lefevre said some delays were caused by the federal review process and some by ACJC’s internal procedures; he said the office is examining its processes to be more efficient once federal approvals are received.

Senators questioned how ACJC evaluates federal grants that carry potential long‑term obligations. Senator Finchem noted federal grants can create local commitments when jurisdictions absorb positions or services after a federal funding period ends. Lefevre acknowledged the risk and said ACJC attempts to structure awards and communicate expectations to minimize unplanned ongoing local costs, but he also agreed to provide more analysis on that point.

Committee members also asked about the scope of ACJC’s victim-services funding and whether the commission helps stand up children's advocacy centers. Lefevre said ACJC’s state victim assistance funds are smaller than federal victim-assistance funding and are often used as a short-term gap-filler for new programs to allow them to meet federal eligibility requirements.

Lefevre highlighted cross-agency accomplishments the commission oversees: a state orders-of-protection modernization (AZPoint) that reduced the average time to serve orders and increased the proportion served, a data-visualization center for public dashboards, and drug-task-force support that the commission says helped seizures of fentanyl and other controlled substances and supported thousands of prosecutions and convictions.

Chairing senators asked ACJC to supply additional information requested by the House committee and to follow up on internal controls and grant‑management timelines. The chair asked the vice chair to move a recommendation to continue the commission with revisions; the motion passed on a committee voice vote.

Next steps recorded in the hearing: the committee recommended continuation with revisions and asked ACJC to provide more detailed follow-up on the lapsed reentry appropriation, the timing and controls around federal special-condition grants, and any persistent systemic causes of delays so the legislature can consider statutory or appropriation changes if needed.