1 SB221
2 209743-3
3 By Senator Chambliss
4 RFD: Judiciary
5 First Read: 10-FEB-21
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4 ENROLLED, An Act,
5 Relating to prisoners and parolees; to amend Section
6 14-1-1.5, Code of Alabama 1975, to require one executive-level
7 employee at the Department of Corrections be the Deputy
8 Commissioner for Prisoner Rehabilitation; relating to pardons
9 and paroles; to require one executive-level employee at the
10 agency responsible for pardons and paroles be assigned as the
11 Deputy Director for Parolee Rehabilitation; to create the
12 Study Commission on Interagency Cooperation and Collaboration
13 on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Formerly
14 Incarcerated Individuals; to specify the membership of the
15 commission; and to specify the duties of the commission.
16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
17 Section 1. Section 14-1-1.5, Code of Alabama 1975,
18 is amended to read as follows:
19 "14-1-1.5.
20 "(a) The commissioner shall have the authority to
21 may appoint no more than three deputy commissioners, who shall
22 serve at his or her pleasure, and to the commissioner shall
23 define their duties. The deputy commissioners shall be persons
24 individuals of good character, of with good business,
25 educational, or administrative experience, shall have no
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1 financial interest in any partnership, corporation, or
2 association with which the department has any financial
3 dealings and, shall devote their full time to their official
4 position, and shall have no other lucrative position while
5 serving as such employed. Their salaries shall be set by the
6 commissioner, but shall not exceed the salary paid the
7 commissioner.
8 "(b) One deputy commissioner shall be known as the
9 Deputy Commissioner for Prisoner Rehabilitation. The Deputy
10 Commissioner for Prisoner Rehabilitation shall be responsible
11 for the development, implementation, and improvement of
12 programs designed to reduce recidivism."
13 Section 2. One executive-level employee at the
14 Department of Pardons and Paroles, or its successor agency,
15 shall be known as the Deputy Director for Parolee
16 Rehabilitation. The Deputy Director for Parolee Rehabilitation
17 shall be responsible for the development, implementation, and
18 improvement of programs designed to reduce recidivism.
19 Section 3. (a) There is established a Study
20 Commission on Interagency Cooperation and Collaboration on the
21 Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated
22 Individuals, which shall consist of all of the following:
23 (1) One member of the House of Representatives,
24 appointed by the Speaker of the House.
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1 (2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
2 President Pro Tempore.
3 (3) The Director of Pardons and Paroles, or his or
4 her designee.
5 (4) The Commissioner of the Department of
6 Corrections, or his or her designee.
7 (5) The Commissioner of the Department of Mental
8 Health, or his or her designee.
9 (6) The Commissioner of the Department of Human
10 Resources, or his or her designee.
11 (7) The Commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency,
12 or his or her designee.
13 (8) The Director of the Alabama Community College
14 System, or his or her designee.
15 (9) The Secretary of the Alabama State Law
16 Enforcement Agency, or his or her designee.
17 (10) The Secretary of the Department of Labor, or
18 his or her designee.
19 (11) The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of
20 Veterans Affairs, or his or her designee.
21 (12) The Executive Director of the Office of
22 Prosecution Services, or his or her designee.
23 (13) A district attorney appointed by the Alabama
24 District Attorneys Association.
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1 (b) The Director of Pardons and Paroles, or his or
2 her designee, shall serve as the chair of the commission. A
3 vice chair shall be designated by a majority vote of the
4 quorum of the membership at its first meeting. A quorum shall
5 consist of a majority of the membership.
6 (c) The membership of the commission shall be
7 inclusive and reflect the racial, gender, geographic,
8 urban/rural, and economic diversity of the state.
9 (d) The commission shall have all of the following
10 duties:
11 (1) Develop and present a strategic plan to make
12 communities safer by reducing recidivism and victimization and
13 assist individuals who return from prison to become productive
14 citizens and save taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and
15 collateral costs of incarceration.
16 (2) Identify, implement, and promote evidence-based
17 research, policies, strategies, and programming to support
18 successful reentry and reintegration.
19 (3) Promote partnerships and collaboration among
20 state agencies and with local governments and organizations to
21 effectively and cost-efficiently advance reentry and
22 reintegration efforts and eliminate duplication of services.
23 (4) Develop strategies to expand access to
24 educational programs and support programs upon reentry.
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1 (5) Develop strategies to assure access to health
2 care coverage and behavioral health services upon reentry.
3 (6) Identify and address unwarranted barriers to
4 successful reentry.
5 (e)(1) The commission shall hold its first meeting
6 no later than June 1, 2021, with the date, time, and location
7 of the meeting to be designated by the Director of Pardons and
8 Paroles, or his or her designee.
9 (2) At the first meeting, the commission shall elect
10 a vice chair, elect other officers as determined by the
11 commission, and set dates, times, and locations of subsequent
12 meetings.
13 (3) The commission shall meet at least monthly and
14 shall report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to
15 the Legislature no later than the fifth legislative day of the
16 2022 Regular Session, whereupon the commission shall stand
17 dissolved and discharged of any further duties and
18 liabilities.
19 (f) The House of Representatives and the Senate
20 shall provide the necessary staff and support to the
21 commission to perform its duties.
22 (g) Members of the commission shall serve without
23 compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses in
24 attending meetings of the commission according to policies and
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1 procedures of their respective appointing authority or
2 employing agency.
3 (h) Legislative members of the commission shall be
4 entitled to their legislative compensation, per diem, and
5 travel expenses for each day they attend a meeting of the
6 commission, in accordance with Amendment 871 of the
7 Constitution of Alabama of 1901.
8 Section 4. This act shall become effective
9 immediately following its passage and approval by the
10 Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
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4 President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
5
6 Speaker of the House of Representatives
7 SB221
8 Senate 13-APR-21
9 I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
10 the Senate, as amended.
11
12 Patrick Harris,
13 Secretary.
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15
16
17 House of Representatives
18 Amended and passed 17-MAY-21
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21 Senate concurred in House amendment 17-MAY-21
22
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24 By: Senator Chambliss
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 14-1-1
Engrossed: 14-1-1
Enrolled: 14-1-1