RAISE THE AGE FUND S.B. 102 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF SUBSTITUTE BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 102 (Substitute S-1)
Sponsor: Senator Sylvia Santana
Committee: Judiciary and Public Safety
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Social Welfare Act to do the following:
-- Create the "Raise the Age Fund" within the State Treasury.
-- Require the Department of Treasury to spend money from the Fund to support the cost of raising the age of criminal responsibility for juveniles.
-- Require a county, court, or tribe to report expenditures of money for costs, such as personnel providing direct services to youths and youth placement and care costs.
The bill would take effect October 1, 2021.
The State Treasurer could receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the Fund. The State Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Fund, and credit to it interest and earnings from Fund investments. Money in the Fund at the close of a fiscal year would remain in the Fund and could not lapse to the General Fund.
The Department of Treasury would be the administrator of the Raise the Age Fund for auditing purposes. The Department would have to spend money from the Fund, upon appropriation, to support the cost of raising the age of criminal responsibility for juveniles.
A county, court, or tribe would have to report expenditures of money received from the funds for costs, including the following:
-- Personnel costs for county, court, or tribe staff providing direct services to the youth, including full or appropriately prorated salaries and training.
-- Contracted staffing, programming, and services.
-- Youth placement and care costs, including room and board, clothing, incidentals, incentives, transportation, and treatment.
-- Indirect administrative costs, including judicial staff and operational expenditures necessary to carry out the judicial process for juveniles who were 17 years old at the time of the offense.
Expenditures under the Fund could be used only for services provided to juveniles who were 17 years old at the time of the offense. Any request for reimbursement must be accompanied by substantiating documentation, as determined by the Department.
Proposed MCL 400.117i Legislative Analyst: Stephen Jackson
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Treasury. Based on the level of estimated revenue within the Fund, the ongoing costs associated with administering and investing the Fund would be less than $100 and would be within current appropriations.
The bill would have no impact on local units of government.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.