Latest news with #HouseBill1417
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota laws address avoiding criminal charges, improving life after jail
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, center, held a signing ceremony April 29, 2025, for three justice reform bills. Seated with Armstrong were bill sponsor Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, right, and co-sponsor Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, D-Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota officials on Tuesday described new legislation as improving 'off-ramps' from the criminal justice system, with one of the off-ramps coming before offenders get into the court system. 'We know that people who get into the criminal justice system tend to stay there,' said Tom Erhardt, director for parole and probation within the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He said by improving the off-ramps, it will reduce the number of crime victims, reduce the number of repeat offenders and save the state money. North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday had a signing ceremony for three criminal justice reform bills, trying to keep people out of the court system, making it easier for them to comply with probation and helping former inmates integrate into society. The bills were based in part on a study conducted after the 2023 legislative session and a collaboration with the corrections department and the Department of Health and Human Services. 'Given the volume of support from prosecutors, public safety officers, community partners and several state agencies throughout the legislative process, it's clear that these policies move our criminal justice system in the right direction,' said Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, the sponsor of the three bills. Erhardt said he thinks House Bill 1425, which focuses on diversion and deflection, has the potential to be the most impactful. It provides $1 million for a pilot program in three counties to be selected by the corrections department. The county state's attorney would be able to develop a program focused on keeping people out of jail, using tools such as mental health and substance abuse services. Law enforcement could be part of the deflection process. The counties will report back on the pilot program before the start of the 2027 legislative session. The bill includes $750,000 through the Department of Health and Human Services for mental health services. 'We have crisis centers around the state, through our human service centers, where someone can come in and get withdrawal management or detox or get assessed for mental health, they may never have to go to the jail,' said Pam Sagness, executive director of the behavioral health division of HHS. House Bill 1417 would eliminate fees for people on supervised release. Not paying those fees can lead to a return to jail. The fees are also seen as a burden for low-income people. The corrections department bills about $6 million in supervision fees per biennium with a collection rate of around 25% or $1.5 million. Legislative Management may also do a study of court fines and fees before the next legislative session. Trio of bills addresses justice reform, crowded North Dakota jails The third bill, House Bill 1549, would create a grant program for local jails for programs that help people adjust after being released from jail, referred to as reentry. 'Most jails don't have anything set up for reentry,' Colby Braun, director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said after the ceremony. 'When you're done, the clothes you came in with, that's pretty much what you leave with.' The corrections department would assist with getting a driver's license or identification card and getting Medicaid or other assistance through the Department of Health and Human Services. The grants from the corrections department would help local jails set up a reentry program. 'So this is really focusing on those local jails to say, 'Hey, if you guys want to build something up, we've got some dollars,'' Braun said. The bill also creates a task force to study housing issues for people leaving jail and a possible study of criminal record sealing and expungement. The diversion and deflection bill will take effect July 1; the other bills will take effect Aug. 1. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Could Arkansas soon have an official state duck?
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas could soon have an official state duck if a recently filed bill passes. House Bill 1417 was filed on Feb. 5 by Rep. Jack Ladyman (R-Jonesboro). It was sponsored by Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) and co-sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wardlaw (R-Hermitage). The bill, if passed, would make the mallard duck the official state duck of Arkansas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says the mallard is the most common duck found in the state, however, two dozen species of duck can be found in Arkansas. Did you know Arkansas has a state dinosaur? Arkansas is also home to the 'Duck Hunting Capital of the World' in Stuttgart. The mallard would join a lengthy list of official state symbols for Arkansas that includes milk as the state beverage, the honeybee as the state insect and the Dutch oven as the state's historic cooking vessel. The bill was referred to the House's State and Governmental Affairs Committee where it was given a 'do pass'. It passed the House by a 77-10 vote and was sent to the Senate to be referred to the Senate's State and Governmental Affairs Committee where it sits as of Feb. 20. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana bill takes aim at chronic wasting disease, but critics fear plan will hurt wild deer
A state lawmaker's proposal aimed at protecting Indiana's wild white-tailed deer from a fatal disease is drawing support from deer farmers, but has many hunters and wildlife advocates concerned. House Bill 1417, filed by Rep. Robert Morris, R-Fort Wayne, would create a pilot program to combat Chronic Wasting Disease by testing deer and looking for certain genetic markers that create a higher resiliency to the fatal disease. It also would require the state's Board of Animal Health and Department of Natural Resources to create a program to 'enhance the genetic durability of Indiana's white-tail deer population.' The bill passed its initial committee hearing but faces a Feb. 17 deadline for approval by the full House before it is sent to the Senate. It's unclear if the bill will make the deadline. The goal of the proposed project is to selectively breed deer with genetic markers that appear to provide more resiliency to CWD, effectively letting deer with infected with the disease live longer. 'With the newly collected data," Morris said, "the state will be better informed and better able to address (chronic wasting disease) in the future.' Where the discussion gets dicey is over the concept of releasing those new, genetically modified deer to mate with white-tailed deer in the wild. The bill initially would have required DNR to release the deer with better resiliency to CWD into the wild, but the language — and directive — was dialed back at a committee hearing in late January to make releases optional rather than mandatory. Still, the approach is concerning to Catherine Appling-Pooler, director of policy for the National Deer Association. She said the organization is not opposed to genetic research in deer, but the Indiana bill is putting the cart before the horse. 'We don't support the release of captive deer into the wild,' Appling-Pooler said. 'That's not part of CWD management recommendations.' The bill sounds great on paper, she said, but a deeper examination of the language causes concern and CWD management should not be forced through legislation. 'By mentioning the release of captive deer, it seems to me like the conclusion has been drawn before the research has been done,' Appling-Pooler said. 'The last time I checked, that's not how it works.' Chronic wasting disease is a terminally fatal illness brought on by abnormal proteins — known as prions — in deer, elk and moose. The abnormal proteins can gather in an animal's central nervous and lymphatic systems and cause degeneration, or 'wasting-away' death, according to the USDA. There are no cures or vaccines for the disease, and infected deer can spread the disease through saliva, feces and urine even before appearing sick. The abnormal proteins can stick to the soil and plants and remain infectious for years, according to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. Indiana documented its first case of chronic wasting disease last April during deer season in LaGrange County. The infected deer likely crossed into the state from either Michigan or Ohio, according Chris Smith, deputy director of DNR. Morris said HB1417 would help Indiana establish a baseline for its deer population by collecting more data. It also establishes rules for the pilot program to make sure it works best for the state. Chris Seabury, a veterinary professor at Texas A&M University, testified during a House Natural Resources committee hearing. Seabury said he has worked with prion diseases for 25 years and developed a system that scores deer based on how resistant they were to CWD. The scores can help selectively breed deer that can live longer with CWD. Seabury said he and his colleagues used this system to successfully clean up a captive deer breeding operation suffering from CWD. Since then, Texas and Oklahoma have also tried this system on wild deer populations. Gathering data on Indiana's deer population is imperative, Seabury said. There is, however, no next step toward combating CWD and this bill would provide Indiana with a way to manage the disease. Smith, the deputy DNR director, said one of the department's main concerns is the cost of testing. Each test will cost $75, which does not include the staff time to collect the samples. DNR would require several thousand tests to get a genetic baseline. Deer farmers in Indiana testified in support of the bill during hearing, but hunters and wildlife advocates remained opposed. Buck Fever: Trophy deer industry linked to disease, costs taxpayers millions Gene Hopkins with the Indiana Sportsman's Roundtable told state lawmakers the health of the state's wild deer herd and the preservation of wild heritage genetics is important and opposed the bill. 'The Indiana deer herd is the envy of the Midwest and probably the nation,' Hopkins said. 'We don't want to risk what we have spent all these years building.' Dan Borrit, executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, told IndyStar there is no clear science that shows selective breeding prevents death when a deer has chronic wasting disease. 'Living longer sounds great, but if you are still being infected and living longer, you are further able to spread this highly contagious disease throughout the population,' Borrit said. States like Pennsylvania, where estimates show there's about a 75% occurrence of CWD in deer, might be better suited for this kind of project, Borrit said. 'In a state like Indiana where we have only this one instance documented in the wild, why would you risk spreading that disease further throughout the herd?' Borrit said. Matt Wright, executive director at the Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma, said science at this time does not back these releases into the wild. Oklahoma passed a nearly identical bill last year and is on track to begin releases into the wild. Wright said his organization did not support the Oklahoma legislation because it involved the state's wild deer population. For now, he said, that work should remain in the lab. 'We have no problem with research to beat CWD,' Wright said. 'But if you do release these deer into the wild population, there is no turning that back. They are out there.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at Follow him on BlueSky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Critics: Plan to combat CWD could put Indiana's wild deer at risk
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trio of bills addresses justice reform, crowded North Dakota jails
Exterior of the North Dakota State Penitentiary on Feb. 4, 2025. Bills under consideration by state lawmakers aim to address crowding at state prisons and jails. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) When parole and probation officers have to try to collect fees from people on supervised release, 'it puts both parties in a difficult situation,' said Colby Braun, director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Eliminating those fees, and the time and effort that goes into collecting them, has been identified as one way to help keep low-level criminals out of North Dakota's crowded jails and prison system. Lawmakers on Wednesday heard from Braun and others advocating for three bills addressing jail overcrowding and keeping people from getting caught in a revolving door of legal trouble. House Bill 1425 focuses on diversion and deflection, keeping people out of jail with mental health and substance abuse service. It would establish a pilot program in three counties. House Bill 1417 would eliminate fees for people on supervised release. Not paying those fees can lead to a return to jail. The fees are also seen as a burden for low-income people. House Bill 1549 would create a grant program for local jails for programs that help people adjust after being released from jail, referred to as reentry. It would also study barriers to reentry, such as housing, access to Medicaid, and maintaining a valid driver's license or getting some other identification. It would also study why Blacks and Native Americans are incarcerated at higher rates than other populations. 'As a package, these proposals promote public safety through an intentional focus on reentry, recovery and rehabilitation that will improve the lives of people exiting the justice system and reduce the likelihood that they find their way back into the system,' Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, the sponsor of the bills, told the House Judiciary Committee. 'This is a better use of our tax dollars, correctional space and the smart approach to maintaining public safety in our state.' The bills address issues identified by a Reentry Study Work Group. They also address the lack of beds available in North Dakota jails, which also is in need of a short-term fix, Gov. Kelly Armstrong has said. Armstrong, a former defense attorney, also voiced support during his budget address for investments in behavioral health and other steps to reduce reliance on jails and prisons. In committee work later Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, spoke against all three bills. 'If we continue to think that the government is the answer to behavioral health, we're going to be going down into a bottomless pit,' Hoverson said. The Judiciary Committee did not act on the bills, with Klemin indicating the committee will take them up Monday. Monday is the deadline for House committees to act on bills that must go to the Appropriations Committee. The bill on fees removes a $55 per month supervision fee charged to people on supervised release. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation bills about $6 million in supervision fees per biennium, with a collection rate of only about 25%. Braun said that does account for the time officers spend trying to collect fees. 'There's no bang for the buck,' Braun said. He said being able to provide positive reinforcement with people is much more effective. Sister Kathleen Atkinson, who operates Ministry on the Margins in Bismarck, said some people will choose going back to jail and using state resources rather than paying fees. The diversion bill would allow state's attorneys in each county to create their own program that could lead to the dismissal of charges if a defendant uses mental health or substance abuse treatment. While not specified in the bill, Klemin said it is intended for low-level charges. Legislative hearing at North Dakota State Penitentiary highlights rehabilitation programs The bill also calls for a pilot project in three counties, to be determined later, working with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 'Pick me,' Cass County State's Attorney Kim Hegvik said Wednesday, testifying in favor of the bill. Hegvik said Cass County had a diversion program but did not have the resources to provide the supervision that people in the program needed. 'This is a great place to spend our resources,' she said. There was no negative testimony presented Wednesday, but there was opposition testimony submitted by Ward County State's Attorney Rozanna Larson. She said she feared the bill would not provide the mental health support that many people need and instead create more work for prosecutors and law enforcement. The bill would also study the effectiveness of pretrial services, which Larson said is not meeting expectations. The reentry study would include looking at programs specifically designed for Native Americans and drawing on Native culture. Braun noted the implementation of Akisni Warrior Lodge program targeted at Natives at the James River Correctional Center as an example. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trio of bills addresses justice reform, crowded North Dakota jails
Exterior of the North Dakota State Penitentiary on Feb. 4, 2025. Bills under consideration by state lawmakers aim to address crowding at state prisons and jails. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) When parole and probation officers have to try to collect fees from people on supervised release, 'it puts both parties in a difficult situation,' said Colby Braun, director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Eliminating those fees, and the time and effort that goes into collecting them, has been identified as one way to help keep low-level criminals out of North Dakota's crowded jails and prison system. Lawmakers on Wednesday heard from Braun and others advocating for three bills addressing jail overcrowding and keeping people from getting caught in a revolving door of legal trouble. House Bill 1425 focuses on diversion and deflection, keeping people out of jail with mental health and substance abuse service. It would establish a pilot program in three counties. House Bill 1417 would eliminate fees for people on supervised release. Not paying those fees can lead to a return to jail. The fees are also seen as a burden for low-income people. House Bill 1549 would create a grant program for local jails for programs that help people adjust after being released from jail, referred to as reentry. It would also study barriers to reentry, such as housing, access to Medicaid, and maintaining a valid driver's license or getting some other identification. It would also study why Blacks and Native Americans are incarcerated at higher rates than other populations. 'As a package, these proposals promote public safety through an intentional focus on reentry, recovery and rehabilitation that will improve the lives of people exiting the justice system and reduce the likelihood that they find their way back into the system,' Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, the sponsor of the bills, told the House Judiciary Committee. 'This is a better use of our tax dollars, correctional space and the smart approach to maintaining public safety in our state.' The bills address issues identified by a Reentry Study Work Group. They also address the lack of beds available in North Dakota jails, which also is in need of a short-term fix, Gov. Kelly Armstrong has said. Armstrong, a former defense attorney, also voiced support during his budget address for investments in behavioral health and other steps to reduce reliance on jails and prisons. In committee work later Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, spoke against all three bills. 'If we continue to think that the government is the answer to behavioral health, we're going to be going down into a bottomless pit,' Hoverson said. The Judiciary Committee did not act on the bills, with Klemin indicating the committee will take them up Monday. Monday is the deadline for House committees to act on bills that must go to the Appropriations Committee. The bill on fees removes a $55 per month supervision fee charged to people on supervised release. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation bills about $6 million in supervision fees per biennium, with a collection rate of only about 25%. Braun said that does account for the time officers spend trying to collect fees. 'There's no bang for the buck,' Braun said. He said being able to provide positive reinforcement with people is much more effective. Sister Kathleen Atkinson, who operates Ministry on the Margins in Bismarck, said some people will choose going back to jail and using state resources rather than paying fees. The diversion bill would allow state's attorneys in each county to create their own program that could lead to the dismissal of charges if a defendant uses mental health or substance abuse treatment. While not specified in the bill, Klemin said it is intended for low-level charges. Legislative hearing at North Dakota State Penitentiary highlights rehabilitation programs The bill also calls for a pilot project in three counties, to be determined later, working with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 'Pick me,' Cass County State's Attorney Kim Hegvik said Wednesday, testifying in favor of the bill. Hegvik said Cass County had a diversion program but did not have the resources to provide the supervision that people in the program needed. 'This is a great place to spend our resources,' she said. There was no negative testimony presented Wednesday, but there was opposition testimony submitted by Ward County State's Attorney Rozanna Larson. She said she feared the bill would not provide the mental health support that many people need and instead create more work for prosecutors and law enforcement. The bill would also study the effectiveness of pretrial services, which Larson said is not meeting expectations. The reentry study would include looking at programs specifically designed for Native Americans and drawing on Native culture. Braun noted the implementation of Akisni Warrior Lodge program targeted at Natives at the James River Correctional Center as an example. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
