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CS/CS/HB 617 — Juvenile Justice Circuit Advisory Boards and Juvenile Justice County Councils
by Judiciary Committee; Criminal Justice Subcommittee; and Rep. Pilon and others (CS/CS/SB 676 by Judiciary Committee; Criminal Justice Committee; and Senator Evers)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Criminal Justice Committee (CJ)
The legislation redesignates juvenile justice circuit boards as juvenile justice circuit advisory boards (boards). The boards will exist in each of the 20 judicial circuits. The bill eliminates statutory authority for juvenile justice county councils. However, except in single-county circuits, a county organization will represent each of the counties in the circuit and report to the board on the juvenile justice needs of the county.
The bill establishes duties and responsibilities of the board, including developing a comprehensive plan for the circuit; facilitating interagency cooperation and information sharing; recommending grants to support the comprehensive plan; making recommendations to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) on prevention and early intervention grant programs; and providing an annual report to the DJJ on board activities.
The bill removes the cap on the number of board members authorized, which is currently 18, and instead requires a minimum of 16 members. The bill specifies the composition of board members and quorum requirements and requires a majority vote to approve measures or positions of the board. Provisions of the bill detail how appointments will be made to the initial juvenile justice circuit advisory boards and the method in which future vacancies will be filled.
The DJJ is responsible for:
- Approving the appointment of certain members to a board.
- Developing format and content requirements for the bylaws of a board and approving the bylaws of each board.
- Developing format and content requirements for comprehensive plans prepared by boards.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect October 1, 2013.
Vote: Senate 39-1; House 117-0