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Committee backs bill to allow state juvenile jurisdiction on federal military property with amendments
Summary
House Bill 1121 would permit Indiana to establish concurrent jurisdiction with the federal government for juvenile delinquency cases on federal military property; the committee adopted clarifying amendments and passed the bill after testimony from a Department of Defense liaison.
Representative McNamara presented House Bill 1121, a measure offered with Department of Defense input to create a process allowing the state to establish concurrent jurisdiction with the United States over certain juvenile delinquency proceedings on Indiana military property.
McNamara told the committee the bill is designed to address the limited federal juvenile framework on installations and would only apply in particular circumstances when the federal government alters jurisdiction to allow state juvenile courts to adjudicate offenses by civilian family members. The sponsor and a Department of Defense representative described the measure as a best-practice approach used by other states to avoid jurisdictional “black holes” for juvenile misconduct on installations.
Shane Preston, Great Lakes Regional Liaison for the Department of Defense State Liaison Office, testified in support and described an example from Fort Lewis, Washington, cited in legal scholarship, where exclusive federal jurisdiction left no state juvenile remedy. Preston said concurrent jurisdiction enables state juvenile courts to adjudicate cases on certain military lands and provide appropriate wraparound services and alternative dispositions more commonly available in state juvenile systems.
Committee members asked a procedural question about recording an agreement in county records when installations span multiple counties. In response, the chair offered and obtained consent for a chair’s amendment to require recording the jurisdictional agreement in the office of each county where the military property is located. After the change, the committee voted to pass the twice-amended bill; the roll call recorded 130 votes in favor.
The bill will move forward with the amendment that requires recording jurisdictional agreements in each county where the Indiana military property lies. The sponsor emphasized the change is tailored to delinquency acts and is not intended to expand federal involvement in unrelated proceedings.
