The Senate Health and Provider Services Committee heard HB 1006, sponsored by Sen. Merritt and Sen. Charbonneau, on mental health matters. Portions of the bill (1) expand eligibility for Recovery Works services to include individuals under the age of 18 whose cases were waived to adult court or direct filed into adult court, and (2) permit the Division of Mental Health and Addiction, with a recommendation by the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC), to operate a pilot program for the misdemeanor population to receive Recovery Works services along with a request for a legislative study committee in 2017 to review expanding Recovery Works for misdemeanor offenders.
Supporting testimony was provided by Mary Kay Hudson, Deputy Director of the Indiana Office of Court Services on behalf of JRAC, David Powell, Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, Larry Landis, Indiana Public Defender Council, among others. The bill passed 11-0 and was recommitted to Senate Appropriations.
Read the bill at: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2017/bills/house/1006