ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

House: ED DP 6-3-1-0 | APPROP DPA 9-6-0-0

HB 2422: Arizona criminal justice academy

Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4

House Engrossed

Overview

Requires eligible postsecondary institutions to implement an Arizona Criminal Justice Academy (Academy). Creates the Arizona Criminal Justice Academy Fund (Academy Fund).

History

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) governs the three public universities in Arizona and is tasked with numerous powers and duties, including: 1) adopting policies for the administration and governance of the three universities; 2) fixing tuition and fees for students; 3) establishing curricula and designating courses; 4) awarding degrees and diplomas; and 5) annually adopting an operating budget for each university (A.R.S. §§ 15-1601, 15-1626).

A criminal justice agency is a court with criminal or equivalent jurisdiction or a government agency authorized to perform criminal justice administration as its principal function and that allocates more than 50% of its annual budget to criminal justice administration (A.R.S. § 41-1750).

Provisions

Academy Criteria

1.   ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal NoteMandates eligible postsecondary institutions implement an Academy to incentivize students to enter the criminal justice profession and commit to work in Arizona. (Sec. 1)

2.   Directs ABOR, in consultation with eligible postsecondary institutions, to develop and implement centralized administrative processes for the Academy as specified. (Sec. 1)

3.   Allows the Academy to include new or existing criminal justice programs that use proven, research-based models of best practices and each eligible postsecondary institution to develop a portfolio of criminal justice programs. (Sec. 1)

4.   Stipulates eligible postsecondary institutions may give priority to junior and senior students but may not exclude freshman and sophomore students. (Sec. 1)

5.   Instructs eligible postsecondary institutions to develop formalized partnerships with Arizona criminal justice agencies to build employment commitments upon a student's completion of the Academy. (Sec. 1)

6.   Requires the targeted deployment of criminal justice professionals who complete the Academy to be based on the needs of each criminal justice agency, the community being served and the criminal justice professional's individual skills. (Sec. 1)

Academy Scholarships

7.   Provides each Academy enrollee, after all other financial gifts, aid or grants received, an annual scholarship up to the actual cost of tuition and fees for maximum of:

a)   two academic years or four semesters for graduate students;

b)   four academic years or eight semesters for undergraduate students; and

c)   two academic years or four semesters for community college students. (Sec. 1)

8.   Limits reimbursement for an Academy scholarship provided by a degree-granting private postsecondary educational institution to the remainder of the average in-state tuition and fees charged by Arizona public universities, minus other gifts and aid. (Sec. 1)

9.   Stipulates that if a student does not complete the academic year in good academic standing, the student must reimburse ABOR for an Academy scholarship received that year. (Sec. 1)

10.  Requires a student, for each academic year they successfully complete and receive an Academy scholarship, to agree to work for one full year in a criminal justice profession in Arizona. (Sec. 1)

11.  Specifies the commitment period for a student who receives an Academy scholarship and who is concurrently working in a criminal justice profession begins after their graduation from the Academy. (Sec. 1)

12.  Excludes a summer term from being included in the service commitment calculation. (Sec. 1)

13.  Prohibits, if an Academy scholarship does not cover remaining tuition and fees after other aid is received, eligible postsecondary institutions from charging students the difference. (Sec. 1)

14.  Allows, if an Academy scholarship exceeds tuition and fees, eligible postsecondary institutions to use the remaining amount for Academy costs. (Sec. 1)

15.  Requires students who do not fulfill the service commitment to reimburse ABOR for each year they received an Academy scholarship but did not work in a criminal justice profession in Arizona. (Sec. 1)

16.  Directs ABOR to establish a process for assessing a student's ability to repay the financial assistance received if the student is physically or mentally unable to fulfill Academy requirements. (Sec. 1)

17.  Mandates ABOR establish a process for deferring service or repayment. (Sec. 1)

Academy Fund

18.  Establishes the Academy Fund consisting of legislative appropriations, gifts and grants and states monies are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing. (Sec. 1)

19.  Tasks ABOR with administering the Academy Fund. (Sec. 1)

20.  Limits the use of Fund monies to:

a)   reimbursing Academy scholarships;

b)   Academy induction services; and

c)   implementing a marketing and promotion plan. (Sec. 1)

21.  Restricts annual expenditures for marketing, promoting and administering the Academy to 3% of Academy Fund monies each fiscal year. (Sec. 1)

22.  Allows eligible postsecondary institutions to use Academy Fund monies remaining at the end of each fiscal year for Academy costs in the following fiscal year. (Sec. 1)

Academy Reporting

23.  Directs ABOR to submit reports to specified entities containing the following information:

a)   by March 1, 2024 and annually thereafter:

i.   the total number of Academy students enrolled in the current academic year;

ii. the number of Academy graduates receiving induction services in the current academic year;

iii.   the estimated amount of Academy Fund monies committed in the current fiscal year;

b)   by September 1, 2024 and annually thereafter:

i.   the total number of Academy students enrolled by year of college enrollment;

ii. the percentage of students who completed each year of the Academy and plan to continue to the subsequent year;

iii.   the number of criminal justice professionals who have completed an Academy program of study;

iv. the number of criminal justice professionals currently working in Arizona as part of the service commitment;

v. the number of graduates receiving induction services;

vi. the number of students who are in repayment agreements, have deferred repayment agreements and who completed repayment agreements;

vii.  the methodology for distributing Academy Fund monies and the amount distributed to each eligible postsecondary institution; and

viii. the amount of unused Academy Fund monies from the prior fiscal year. (Sec. 1)

Miscellaneous

24.  Defines eligible postsecondary institution as:

a)   an Arizona public university;

b)   an Arizona community college that offers criminal justice programs; and

c)   a degree-granting private postsecondary educational institution in Arizona that offers one or more criminal justice programs and opts to participate in the Academy. (Sec.1)

25.  Defines criminal justice agency and tuition and fees. (Sec. 1)

 

 

 

 

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                  HB 2422

Initials CH/SJ        Page 0 House Engrossed

 

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