Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Human Services & Early Learning Committee

HB 1246

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Including referred and diverted youth in establishing community juvenile accountability program guidelines.

Sponsors: Representatives Goodman, Eslick, Stokesbary, Fey, Lovick, Appleton, Frame and Tharinger.

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Expands community juvenile accountability program (CJAP) funding to include youth referred to programs who would have been diverted or prosecuted in the absence of that program.

  • Requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to implement a stop loss policy for CJAP funding so that no county may lose more than 2 percent from one year to the next.

  • Requires the DCYF to provide an annual report on CJAP funding and a one-time report on funding provided to counties for referred youth.

Hearing Date: 1/25/19

Staff: Luke Wickham (786-7146).

Background:

Community Juvenile Accountability Act.

The Community Juvenile Accountability Act (CJAA) was enacted in 1997 as part of an omnibus juvenile justice bill. The CJAA allows local governments to submit proposals for funding community juvenile accountability programs in their communities. These proposals must be submitted to the Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) division of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). The JR functions of the DSHS will transfer to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) on July 1, 2019.

A Community Juvenile Accountability Program (CJAP) proposal must include:

Local governments that receive CJAP funding must agree that the funds they receive be used efficiently to encourage the use of community-based programs that reduce the reliance on

juvenile offender secure confinement.

The JR, in consultation with the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators, the state law and justice advisory council, and the family policy council, establishes CJAP guidelines. These guidelines must:

Washington State Institute for Public Policy Juvenile Justice Program Evaluations.

The CJAA required the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Institute) to develop standards for measuring the effectiveness of juvenile accountability programs funded by the CJAP. The Institute has evaluated the effectiveness of several juvenile justice programs including the Coordination of Services Program, Aggression Replacement Therapy, Family Integrated Transitions, Functional Family Therapy, and Multisystemic Therapy.

Summary of Bill:

The guidelines for CJAP funding is expanded to include referred youth, who are defined to include a youth who:

The DCYF must provide an annual report on December 1, 2019, that includes a county by county description of the youth served funded by the CJAP.

The DCYF must implement a stop loss policy when allocating CJAP funding. Under this policy, funding formula changes may not result in a funding loss for any juvenile court of more than 2 percent from one year to the next. The block grant oversight committee must establish a minimum base level of funding for juvenile courts with lower number of at-risk youth ages 10-17. The DCYF must provide a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2019, regarding how funding is used for referred youth and the impact of that use on overall funding.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.