The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard SB 238, sponsored by Rep. Steuerwald, on the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). This bill expands the possible recipients of grants from the CJI beyond a county government or the state government and changes their responsibility from administering sexual offense services, domestic violence programs, and assistance to victims of human sexual trafficking to administering funds to support those programs and services. This bill also abolishes CJI’s meth watch program, responsibility for developing guidelines concerning reporting of methamphetamine abuse, gang crime witness protection program, gang crime witness protection fund, and sexual assault victim advocate standards and certification board. The bill requires CJI to distribute certain funds to the statewide nonprofit sexual assault coalition as designated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A representative from the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault testified in favor of the bill. The bill passed 11-0.
Read the bill here: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills/senate/238