ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

House: JUD DP 8-0-0-0-0-0 | APPROP DPA 13-0-2-0-0-0

HB 2333: appropriation; coordinated reentry planning

Sponsor: Representative Bliss, LD 1

Caucus & COW

Overview

Appropriates $17,000,000 from the state General Fund (GF) in FY 2024 to the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) for a coordinated reentry services program (Program).

History

Current law allows each county to establish a Program for the purpose of screening and assessing persons who are booked into a county jail and connecting them with behavioral health and substance disorder treatments. Counties that establish a Program must also establish a planning committee comprised of specific persons to develop the Program's policies and procedures.

Subject to available funding, a Program is required to:

1) Allow entities to access and use a cross-system recidivism tracking data base (Data Base) which contains data from prearrest diversion programs, reentry screenings and reentry planning before, during and postrelease;

2) Establish an information exchange mechanism that includes reentry planning efforts between entities, counties, cities, towns and other state political subdivisions;

3) Enable collaborative efforts that include treatment, peer support, housing, transportation and employment services by developing or extending a coalition;

4) Establish agreements with coalition partners in which treatment providers use the Data Base to record postrelease treatment engagement; and

5) Utilize the Data Base to record baseline and ongoing statistics for identified needs, referrals and future Program participants (A.R.S. § 11-392).

Provisions

1. Appropriates $17,000,000 from the GF in FY 2024 to ADOA to be distributed to counties for a Program as follows:

a) $2,300,000 to each of Mohave, Pinal and Yavapai counties to continue to implement the Program in each county;

b) $7,100,000 to distribute as grants to counties other than Mohave, Pinal and Yavapai counties to implement a Program; and

c) $3,000,000 to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) to develop a Data Base. (Sec. 1)

2. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing and specifies the Legislature's intent that the appropriation be considered ongoing in future years. (Sec. 1)

Amendments

Committee on Appropriations

1. Reduces from $17,000,000 to $10,000,000 the appropriation amount from the GF to ADOA in FY 2024.

2. Distributes $2,000,000 each to the counties of Mohave, Pinal, Yavapai, Coconino and Navajo to continue implementing the Program.

3. Appropriates an additional $3,000,000 from the GF in FY 2024 to the ACJC to develop a Data Base.

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7. HB 2333

8. Initials JL/GC Page 0 Caucus & COW

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