The House Judiciary Committee heard HB 1403 on juvenile justice matters, authored by Rep. McNamara. The overlying bill focuses on juvenile justice reform and the Youth Justice Oversight Committee (YJOC) by doing the following:
- Amends the duties of the statewide juvenile justice oversight body established by the commission on improving the status of children in Indiana.
- Requires the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to consider the recommendations of the oversight body (rather than considering a single specified plan developed by the oversight body as provided under current law) in adopting a funding formula for the juvenile diversion grant program, juvenile community alternatives grant program, and juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program.
- Requires a recipient of a grant under the juvenile diversion grant program, juvenile community alternatives grant program, or juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program to engage in collaborative service planning with specified entities, and sets out the characteristics of collaborative service planning.
- Makes the following changes to the juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program (pilot program): (1) Provides that the institute may use available funds to strengthen the institute’s capacity to manage grants under the pilot program. (2) Requires the institute to submit an annual report to specified recipients regarding the pilot program. Amends comparable provisions regarding: (1) the juvenile diversion grant program and juvenile community alternatives grant program; and (2) the pilot program; to bring the provisions into closer conformity with one another.
- Changes the juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program to allow the institute to use funds for improved grant management, require annual reporting, and amends comparable provisions regarding the juvenile diversion and community alternatives grant programs and pilot program.
The bill was amended by consent to remove references to the pilot program from the juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program.
The Indiana Commission on the Improvement of Status of Children, Indiana Public Defender Council, and a member of the public testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 11-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/house/1403