OK Governor Signs Justice Reform Package

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) signed a quartet of bills last week aimed at reducing the Sooner State’s burgeoning prison population. Oklahoma leads the nation in incarceration rate for women and is second nationally for men.

 

The measures, which were developed by a bipartisan task force Fallin put together last year comprised of prosecutors, defense attorneys and criminal justice professionals, are mostly aimed at steering non-violent drug offenders toward treatment instead of incarceration. Among several things, the bills raise the property crime threshold for a felony to $1000 from $500 (HB 2751), reduce mandatory minimum drug sentences (HB 2479), allow district attorneys more discretion to file certain crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies (HB 2472) and widen eligibility for community sentencing and drug courts (HB 2753).

 

The bills’ author, Sen. Pam Peterson (R), noted the state’s high incarceration rates. The Sooner State prison system is currently at 112 percent of capacity, with almost 60 percent of those prisoners there due to drug-related offenses. Most are nonviolent. With prison costs on the rise, Fallin said the package strikes a fair balance between public safety and controlling prison expenditures.

 

“Many of our inmates are non-violent offenders with drug abuse and alcohol problems who need treatment. This will pave the way for a wider use of drug courts and community sentencing as well as give judges and district attorneys more discretion in sentencing,” she said in a statement.

 

“We all want to be tough on crime, but we also want to be smart on crime,” she added. (OKLAHOMAN [OKLAHOMA CITY], DURANT DEMOCRAT, OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE)

 

Governors In Brief - May 2 2016

AL Lawmakers Set Up Impeachment Process

ALABAMA lawmakers set up the process by which the House will attempt to impeach Gov. Robert Bentley (R). House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a resolution that requires at least 21 signatures by House members to present impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee. Eleven lawmakers have signed on to a resolution to impeach Bentley over allegations he had an affair with his top political consultant. They accuse him of willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency and offenses of moral turpitude. (AL.COM, GADSDEN TIMES)

 

LA Gov Issues Food Stamp Executive Order

LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) issued Executive Order JBE 2016-12, which requires unemployed adults applying for food stamps to first seek job search and training assistance through the state’s workforce centers. It is the first such work restriction on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the Pelican State in 20 years. (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE)

 

OR Gov Brown Fires Lottery Director

Saying it was time for a leadership change, OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) fired Oregon Lottery Director Jack Roberts last week, replacing him with a long-time aide until a permanent replacement can be hired. A Brown spokesperson pointed to unspecified “management problems” for Roberts’s dismissal. The lottery has come under fire in recent years for its heavy marketing to and reliance on problem gamblers to produce the revenues it generates for the state. (PORTLAND OREGONIAN, STATESMAN JOURNAL [SALEM])

 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

 

 

Business - May 2 2016

LA Approves HB 266

The LOUISIANA House approves, HB 266 so-called “ban the box” legislation that bars government job applications from requiring job seekers to disclose a felony conviction. Employers could still require that information later in the process. The measure, which does not apply to the private sector, moves to the Senate (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). HB 266

WA Gov Signs SB 6328

WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signs SB 6328, legislation that implements statewide regulations for the sale of vaping products. The rules include requirements that vaping products contain labels warning users of their health effects, and liquid nicotine containers come in child-proof packaging (GOVERNING).

WI Gov Signs AB 720

WISCONSIN Gov. Scott Walker (R) signs AB 720, which allows mortgage lenders one year to decide what to do with an abandoned foreclosed property, after which they can sell the property or return it to the original owner. The law counters a 2015 court ruling that required lenders to quickly sell abandoned homes in foreclosure (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL).

Crime & Punishment - May 2 2016

CA Fails SB 966

A sufficient majority of the CALIFORNIA Senate fails to endorse SB 966, which would have repealed mandatory sentencing enhancements for someone convicted of the sale, possession for sale, distribution or transportation of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and PCP. The bill passed 18-16, three short of the 21 votes needed to move on (SACRAMENTO BEE).

Crime In KS

The KANSAS Supreme Court rules that a Sunflower State law requiring sex offenders who've been released to spend the rest of their life on the state sex offender registry does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD).

Crime In NJ

The NEW JERSEY Council on Local Mandates rules that a 2014 law requiring all new Garden State police vehicles to have mobile camera systems violates the state constitution. The panel ruled the law does not sufficiently fund the cost of the cameras (NJ.COM).

GA Gov Signs HB 827

GEORGIA Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signs HB 827, legislation that requires Peach State law enforcement to collect rape kits from hospitals within 96 hours of being utilized and submit them for testing within 30 days (ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION).

 

Education - May 2 2016

CA Approves AB 1594

The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 1594, which would bar the use of standard and electronic cigarettes on California State University and community college campuses. It moves to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE).

MD Gov Signs SB 376 and SB 381

MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs SB 376, legislation that will proffer state funds for a program under which ninth-grade students could obtain a high school diploma and associate's degree in six years (BALTIMORE SUN). Also in MARYLAND, Gov. Hogan signs SB 381, which allows buyers of properties being sold by the state Department of Housing and Community Development to roll student loan debt into their home mortgages (BAYNET.COM).