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Senate Finance Committee refers HB239, the Public Safety Omnibus, after staff answers on medical-release eligibility
Summary
The Senate Finance Committee moved House Bill 239, described as a Public Safety Omnibus addressing criminal neglect and failure-to-assist, to the next committee after Department of Corrections testimony clarified categories of offenders ineligible for medical release via electronic monitoring.
The Senate Finance Committee voted to move House Bill 239 — described in the hearing as the Public Safety Omnibus addressing criminal neglect and failure-to-assist — from committee to the next referral after brief procedural questions and Department of Corrections testimony.
Senator Steadman moved the committee substitute for HB239 with attached fiscal notes and recommendations; the chair asked for objection and none was voiced, so the legislation was referred. The motion was procedural and no recorded roll-call vote was taken at the hearing.
Senator Kaufman asked whether certain offenders are categorically ineligible for medical release under an electronic monitoring system. Zane Nieswanger, director of institutions for the Department of Corrections, told the committee those statutory disqualifiers include offenses such as abuse of a minor (various degrees) and unlawful exploitation of a minor, and he noted other offenses in statute create ineligibility for such release.
The committee did not take further testimony or debate on the bill during the morning session and provided that the legislation will continue through the standard referral process.
The committee chair announced the bill would proceed to the next committee referral; no amendments or votes on the substance were recorded at this meeting.
