GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 743

Short Title:  Juvenile Assessment Project.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Morris; Hurley, Kinney, McAllister, Warner, Yongue, and Capps.

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Referred to:  Appropriations.

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April 1, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR A JUVENILE ASSESSMENT CENTER PROJECT AND TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY BOARD TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE PROJECT.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. (a) The Administrative Office of the Courts, in collaboration with the Chief Court Counselor of District Court District 12, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, and the appropriate local school administrative units, shall develop and implement a Juvenile Assessment Center Project in District Court District 12.  The purpose of the Project is to facilitate efficient prevention and intervention service delivery to juveniles who are (i) alleged to be delinquent or undisciplined and have been taken into custody or (ii) at risk of becoming delinquent or undisciplined because they have behavioral problems and have committed delinquent acts even though they have not been taken into custody.  The Project shall assist these juveniles, by providing a centralized point of intake and assessment for the juveniles, by addressing the educational, emotional, and physical needs of the juveniles, and by providing juveniles with an atmosphere for learning personal responsibility, self-respect, and respect for others.  The Administrative Office of the Courts shall consider the recommendations of the Juvenile Assessment Advisory Board in developing and implementing the Project.
(b)	The Project shall be modeled after the Juvenile Assessment Center in Hillsborough County, Florida, and shall:
(1)	Identify those juveniles who are alleged to be delinquent or undisciplined or are at risk of becoming delinquent or undisciplined;
(2)	Evaluate the educational, emotional, and physical needs of the juveniles identified and determine whether the juveniles have problems related to substance abuse, depression, or other emotional conditions;
(3)	Develop in-depth and comprehensive assessment plans for the juveniles identified that recommend appropriate treatment, counseling, and disposition of the juveniles; and
(4)	Provide services to juveniles identified and their families through collaboration with public and private resources, including local law enforcement, parents' organizations, the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and county and community programs and organizations that provide substance abuse treatment and child and family counseling.
Section 2. (a) There is established the Juvenile Assessment Advisory Board to make recommendations to the Administrative Office of the Courts regarding the development and operations of the Project.  The Board shall consist of 13 members, including:
(1)	The director of the Department of Social Services of Cumberland County, or the director's designee.
(2)	A representative from the local mental health area authority of Cumberland County.
(3)	A member of the Cumberland County Board of Education.
(4)	The sheriff of Cumberland County, or the sheriff's designee.
(5)	The chief of police of the Fayetteville Police Department, or the designee of the chief of police.
(6)	A judge of District Court District 12.
(7)	A juvenile court counselor from District Court District 12.
(8)	The director of the Guardian Ad Litem program in Cumberland County, or the director's designee.
(9)	The director of the Health Department of Cumberland County, or the director's designee.
(10)	Two public members appointed by the Fayetteville City Council.
(11)	Two public members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners of Cumberland County.
(b)	The members of the Board shall, within 30 days after the initial appointment is made, meet and elect one member as chair.  The Board shall meet at least once a month at the call of the chair, and a quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of its members.
(c)	The Board of County Commissioners of Cumberland County shall provide necessary clerical and professional assistance to the Board.
(d)	Initial appointments shall be made by August 1, 1997, and all terms shall expire June 30, 1999. 
Section 3. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall evaluate the Project and report to the Cochairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Justice and Public Safety and to the Fiscal Research Division on October 1, 1997, March 1, 1998, and October 1, 1998, on the progress of the development and implementation of the Project.  The October 1998 report shall include recommendations on whether the Project should be continued and, if so, the extent to which it should be continued, why it should be continued, and the costs associated with continuing the Project.  If the Administrative Office of the Courts recommends that the Project not be continued, it shall provide the reasons for the recommendation.
Section 4. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Administrative Office of the Courts the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for the 1997-98 fiscal year and the sum of eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) for the 1998-99 fiscal year to fund the Juvenile Assessment Project authorized by this act. These funds shall be matched by local funds on the basis of one dollar ($1.00) of local funds for every three dollars ($3.00) of State funds.
Section 5.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1997, and expires June 30, 1999.