July 26, 2006
Representative
Randall Luthi, Chairman
Senator Ken Decaria
Senator
John Hanes
Senator
Kit Jennings
Senator
Kathryn Sessions
Representative
Roy Cohee
Representative
Debbie Hammons
Representative
Pete Illoway
Representative
Marty Martin
Senator
Grant Larson
Senator John Schiffer
Barbara
J. Rogers, Program Evaluation Manager; Michael Swank, Program Evaluator; Jim
Reuss, Associate Program Evaluator; Karla Smith, Associate Program Evaluator.
Representative
Monte Olsen. Please refer to Appendix 1
to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet for a list of other individuals who
attended the meeting.
All meeting materials and
handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office (LSO),
public officials, lobbyists, and the public are referenced in the Meeting
Materials Index, attached to the minutes. These materials are on file at the LSO and are
part of the official record of the meeting.
Chairman Luthi called the
meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. The following
sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic. Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the
Committee Meeting Agenda.
Representative Illoway moved
to approve the minutes from the July 6, 2006 meeting. Representative Martin seconded and the motion
carried.
Per W.S. 28-8-107 (c), Chairman
Luthi resolved the Committee into Executive Session for consideration of a
staff presentation on the draft report, Drug
Courts. The Committee discussed the
report’s findings and recommendations with officials from the Department of Health.
Chairman Luthi opened the
meeting. Representative Illoway moved
and Representative Hammons seconded a motion to release the report Wyoming Drug Courts at noon on Thursday, July 27, 2006. The motion carried.
Discussion followed as to
what action the Committee wished to take with regard to the report
recommendations. Senator Hanes requested that copies of the full report
be sent to members of the Judiciary Committee.
Members agreed additionally that staff should send full copies to the Labor,
Health and Social Services Committee, and the Joint Appropriations
Committee.
Senator Jennings moved and Representative Illoway seconded a motion that
the Legislative Service Office be instructed to draft legislation authorizing a
steering committee whose purpose would be to help create a more uniform
administration of drug courts across the state.
The committee would be empowered to explore different state-level structural
models for drug courts, and to consider alternative adjudication procedures for
them such as use of court commissioners, magistrates, administrative law judges
and hearing officers. The steering
committee’s charge should also include: examining
the progress and value of the Substance Abuse Division’s newly-implemented Case
Management System; reviewing the state funding model in relation to outcomes of
individual courts; reviewing multi-agency, cross-branch collaboration; and
consideration of how to bring non-participating, revenue-challenged counties
into the drug court system.
Steering committee members should consist of the State
Drug Court Panel, four legislators (two from each chamber), and representatives
from the municipal, circuit, and district levels of the Wyoming judiciary, to include
both judges who are active in drug courts and those who do not currently participate;
judicial appointments would be made by the Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme
Court. The Steering Committee should
report its recommendations to the Joint Judiciary Committee by October 2007, which
would allow time for that Committee to draft legislation for the 2008 Session. The motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Luthi led the
Committee in a discussion of possible new topics. The Committee requested that staff undertake
first, a study of A&I Hiring
Practices, and second, Kid Care CHIP. Staff will report to the Committee by early
October on the anticipated completion dates for these reports.
Chairman Luthi then led the
Committee in a work session to determine scoping papers to be prepared prior to
the end of 2006, to assist members in selecting topics for study during the
early months of 2007. After
discussion of several alternatives, the Committee selected in rank order: the Retirement System; the state’s
construction bid process; worker safety: injury and mortality rates; and Game
and Fish Department, impact of non-game expenses. Staff will prepare as many of these scoping
papers as possible.
Chairman Luthi invited
members to visit the
There being no further
business, Chairman Luthi adjourned the meeting at 3:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Representative Randall Luthi,
Chairman