ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session
	House: JUD DP 10-0-0-0

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HB 2479: juvenile dependency; state aid; appropriation

Sponsor:  Representative Biasiucci, LD 5

Committee on Appropriations

Overview

Establishes and appropriates $2,000,000 from the state General Fund to the state aid for the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund (Fund) to support the processing of juvenile dependency cases.

History

Current law allows for the Department of Administration to draw warrants, check or electronic funds transfer vouchers against the available balances of appropriations made for a fiscal year period of one month after the close of that fiscal year to pay obligations incurred during the fiscal year or to fulfill contracts made during the fiscal year (FY) as determined by the director of the Department of Administration. (A.R.S. § 35-190)

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) administers state aid to the County Attorneys Fund by September 1 of each year. The funds are distributed to each county according to the following composite index formula:

1) The three-year average of the total felony filings in the superior court in the county, divided by the statewide three-year average of the total felony filings in the superior court;

2) The county population, as adopted by the Department of Economic Security, divided by the statewide population, as adopted by the Department of Economic Security;

3) The sum of the three-year average of the total felony filings in the superior court in the county, divided by the statewide three-year average of the total felony filings in superior court and the county population divided by the statewide population, divided by two equals the composite index; and

4) The composite index for each county shall be used as the multiplier against the total funds appropriated from the state general fund and other monies distributed to the fund. (A.R.S § 24-2409)

Provisions

1. Establishes the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund. (Sec. 1)

2. Distributes monies from the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund to county public defenders, legal defenders and contract indigent defense counsel for the processing of juvenile dependency cases. (Sec. 1)

3. States the ACJC will administer the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund, and the monies will be continuously appropriated and be distributed by September 1 of each year based on the total amount of felonies, county population and the composite index of each county. (Sec. 1, 2)

4. Exempts monies in the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund from any obligations relating to lapsing of appropriations for paying obligations incurred during the fiscal year and to fulfill contracts made during the year. (Sec. 1, 3)

5. States that on notice of ACJC, the state treasurer will invest and divest monies in the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund and monies earned from investments must be credited to the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund. (Sec. 1)

6. Transfers the responsibility from the Department of Economic Security to the Office of Economic Opportunity for determining the county population. (Sec. 2)

7. Dictates ACJC must distribute monies in the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund to each county in which the three-year average of the total juvenile dependency case filings in the superior court of the county for FY 2012, 2013 and 2014 based on the proportion of the population of each qualifying county bears to the total qualifying county population. (Sec. 2)

8. States the board of supervisors of each county must separately account for the monies distributed. (Sec. 2)

9. Appropriates $2,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2021 to the Juvenile Dependency Proceedings Fund. (Sec. 3)

10. Contains technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 2)

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14.                   HB 2479

15. Initials LC  Page 0 Appropriations

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