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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
veterans' court fund; grant program
Purpose
Establishes the Veterans' Specialty Court Grant Program (Grant Program) and the Veterans’ Treatment Court Fund (Fund) to provide grants to municipalities and counties to create, or to expand and enhance existing, veterans’ court programs, outlines procedures to identify and assist incarcerated veterans and prescribes related administrative and reporting requirements.
Background
The presiding judge of the superior court in each county may establish a homeless court, veterans' court and mental health court to adjudicate cases filed in a justice or municipal court in the county. The presiding judge of the superior court must establish the eligibility criteria for referral to the homeless, veterans' or mental health court. A justice of the peace or municipal court judge who has jurisdiction over a case that meets the eligibility criteria may refer the case to the homeless, veterans' or mental health court. The originating court must notify the prosecutor of any criminal case referred to the homeless, veterans' or mental health court (A.R.S. § 22-601).
A veteran is a U.S. citizen who was enlisted, drafted, inducted or commissioned and who was accepted for and assigned to active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces which includes the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Public Health Services and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Guard and any military reserve unit of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces (A.R.S. § 41-601).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
Grant Program
1. Establishes the Grant Program for municipalities and counties in Arizona to establish a veterans’ court program.
2. Requires the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to administer the Grant Program.
3. Requires the Grant Program to:
a) support the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans as contributing members of their communities;
b) promote collaboration among prosecutors, defense counsels, judges, community-based support organizations in the state, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS);
c) develop and oversee individualized treatment plans to address the underlying causes of justice-involved veterans' behavior, including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anger management, domestic violence prevention and intervention and alcohol and drug abuse treatment.
4. Allows grant monies to:
a) be used to establish new veterans' court programs; and
b) expand and enhance existing veterans' court programs.
5. Requires the AOC to collaborate with county attorneys, municipal prosecutors, public defenders and any relevant stakeholders to establish the best practices and standards for the administration of veterans' court programs and data collection in the state.
6. Instructs the Arizona Supreme Court to adopt rules as necessary and establish criteria to implement the Grant Program.
7. Establishes the Fund consisting of legislative appropriations.
8. Requires AOC to administer the Fund.
9. Allows the Fund to be used to provide monies to municipalities and counties in the state to establish a veterans' court program and to expand and enhance existing veterans' court programs.
10. Requires Fund monies to be awarded annually to grantees and to be used for any relevant administrative costs, including hiring personnel to establish, maintain or enhance a veterans' court program.
11. Requires applicants to submit an application on a form prescribed by the AOC.
12. Requires each grantee, by December 31 of each year, to submit a report to the AOC that includes:
a) the number of veterans served, separated by the type of offense, demographics and military service history;
b) arrest and recidivism rates among veterans' court program participants;
c) veterans' court program completion rates and participant outcomes;
d) use of mental health and substance abuse treatment services; and
e) recommendations for veterans' court program and Grant Program improvement.
13. Requires the AOC to submit, by March 1 of each year, a comprehensive report to the Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives that analyzes the data submitted by grantees and that summarizes and includes:
a) statewide data on veterans' court programs that incorporate grantee-reported metrics on participation, recidivism and treatment outcomes;
b) challenges and barriers to veterans' court program implementation, based on grantee feedback and data;
c) recommendations for enhancing the identification and assessment of veterans within the criminal justice system of Arizona, including data collection protocols and best practices for cross-agency collaboration and data sharing among federal, state and local stakeholders; and
d) policy and funding recommendations to improve veterans' court program and Grant Program effectiveness and sustainability.
Incarcerated Veterans
14. Requires the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR), notwithstanding any other law, to make reasonable efforts to identify incarcerated individuals who are veterans in the state.
15. Requires ADCRR and ADVS to enter into a memorandum of understanding to establish procedures for secure data sharing consistent with applicable state and federal confidentiality laws.
16. Requires ADCRR to provide to ADVS, on a monthly basis and to the extent practicable, a list of incarcerated individuals who are identified as veterans and who have an anticipated release date within 90 days.
17. Limits the information shared to the minimum information necessary to identify the individual and facilitate outreach.
18. Encourages ADVS to make a reasonable effort to contact identified individuals before the individual's release from incarceration and for a reasonable period following the individual's release from incarceration.
19. Stipulates that information shared is confidential, is not subject to public disclosure and must be used solely for the purpose of enabling ADVS to provide benefits counseling, assist with eligibility determinations and provide information regarding available federal, state or local veterans' benefits and services.
20. Requires ADCRR, in coordination with ADVS, to submit, by December 31, 2026, and each year thereafter, a report to the Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the implementation of the prescribed requirements for data sharing and identifying incarcerated veterans during the preceding fiscal year.
21. Stipulates that the report must include data on:
a) the number of currently incarcerated individuals identified as veterans as of June 30 of the preceding fiscal year;
b) the total number of veterans who were anticipated for release from incarceration and who were referred to ADVS during the preceding fiscal year; and
c) the number of veterans who were assisted with initiation, reinstatement or coordination of veterans benefits before or after release from incarceration during the preceding fiscal year.
Miscellaneous
22. Specifies that Fund monies are continuously appropriated.
23. Defines a veteran.
24. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
APPROP 2/23/26 DPA 18-0-0-0
3rd Read 3/9/26 37-15-7-0-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 19, 2026
KJA/KM/ci