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| SPONSOR: | Watchman | DATE TYPED: | 02/04/00 | HB | 436 | ||
| SHORT TITLE: | Services for Incarcerated Native Americans | SB | |||||
| ANALYST: | Trujillo | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY00 | FY01 | FY00 | |||
| $ 80.0 | Rec | GF | |||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to SB 367
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC files
Department of Public Safety
Department of Corrections
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
HB436 appropriates $80.0 from the general fund to the Corrections Department for expenditure in FY 01 to provide for two counselors to travel to state and private prisons and correction facilities for the purpose of providing spiritual counseling, ceremonies, and advice pursuant to the Native American Counseling Act to Native Americans incarcerated in state and private facilities. An unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of the FY01 reverts to the GF.
Significant Issues
According to the Department of Corrections, the department has experienced difficulty in obtaining volunteer Native American spiritual counselors who are able to travel to all facilities to provide counseling services to Native Americans. Enactment of this bill would assist the Corrections Department in providing these services.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The bill appropriates $80.0 to the Corrections Department for FY01.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The Corrections Department suggests that the funds appropriated will be used to contract with two counselors and compensate the contractors for their time and travel. Also some of the appropriation will be used to obtain materials required for sweat lodge ceremonies.
The Department maintains that the enactment of this bill could reduce the administrative burden of prison administrators who struggle to obtain Native American spiritual counselors on a volunteer basis.
Any administrative burden for procurement staff who will be required to contract for these services could be absorb by the Department.
LAT/njw