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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1965 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO VETERANS TREATMENT COURT.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to appropriate
funds to continue the third circuit's veterans treatment court, which is
intended and designed to recognize and address the unique needs of veterans
entering the criminal justice system.
The legislature finds that many veterans
who enter the criminal justice system suffer from mental illness and substance
abuse issues arising from their service to our country. The Bureau of Justice Assistance found that
eighty-one per cent of all veterans involved in the justice system had a
substance abuse problem prior to incarceration, thirty-five per cent were
identified as suffering from alcohol dependency, twenty-three per cent had been
homeless in the prior year, and twenty-five per cent were identified as
mentally ill. The underlying cause for
the incarceration of many of these veterans was often post-traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury, a substance use disorder, or a combination of any of
the three.
The legislature further finds that veterans
may be apprehensive about communicating the need for help with nonveterans and
may need extra assistance in pursuing eligibility for services offered by the
Department of Veterans Affairs. To
address these concerns, the third circuit launched a veterans treatment court for
the island of Hawaii in November 2014 with funds from a federal grant. The veterans treatment court helps to provide
a combination of high level supervision, mentoring, verification and monitoring
of Veterans Affairs services, incentives, consequences, motivation, and
veteran-specific treatment planning that address the diverse needs of veterans
in the criminal justice system. However,
the federal grant expired at the end of September 2017. Therefore, funds are necessary to continue the
veterans treatment court on the island of Hawaii.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to authorize additional positions and appropriate funding for the judiciary.
SECTION 2. (a) The judiciary may convert one temporary social worker IV position into a full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent social worker IV position and establish one additional full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent social worker IV position to support the veterans treatment court in the third circuit.
(b) There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $105,912 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to fund the positions authorized in subsection (a).
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the judiciary for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2018.
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INTRODUCED
BY: |
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Report Title:
Veterans Treatment Court; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates funds to the veterans treatment court on the island of Hawaii.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.