Bills › 88th General Assembly
Establishing a veterans treatment court in each judicial district
Sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee
Topics:Courts & civil lawVeterans & military
Same legislation: SF 2088
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 28, 2020
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 28, 2020
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 18, 2020
- Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2020 session adjourned on June 14, 2020, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
This bill establishes a veterans treatment court in each judicial district to serve veterans and to integrate court sanctions and incentives with substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, and transitional services. For the purposes of the operation of the veterans treatment court, “veteran” means a person who served in the armed forces or the reserve forces of the United States or who served in the national guard of any state. The veterans treatment court is required to integrate justice system case processing with alcohol and drug treatment and with mental health services, to use a nonadversarial approach in proceedings, and to provide early and prompt identification and placement of eligible participants in the treatment programs.
Read the full explanation
The veterans treatment court is also required to establish ongoing interaction with each veteran, to coordinate treatment and rehabilitation services, and to monitor and evaluate treatment. The veterans treatment court is required to continue interdisciplinary education to promote effective veterans treatment court planning and operation, and to form partnerships among veterans treatment courts, public agencies, and community-based organizations. The bill provides that the jurisdiction of the veterans treatment court may be exercised by any district judge and by any district associate judge who is designated by the chief judge of a judicial district as a judge of the veterans treatment court and requires that the chief judge shall designate one or more of the district judges and district associate judges to act as judges of the veterans treatment court for a judicial district. The chief judge of a district may designate a veterans treatment court judge to preside in more than one county. The supreme court is required to prescribe rules to establish the jurisdiction of the veterans treatment court and for the administration of the veterans treatment court in this state in consultation with the United States department of veterans affairs, the Iowa department of veterans affairs, the county commissions of veteran affairs, the department of human services, the state public defender, and the Iowa county attorneys association.
Fiscal note
Judicial Branch Senate File 2287 would increase the cost of the Judicial Branch operating budget. Table 1 provides the estimated ongoing and annual cost increases to the Judicial Branch to operate the Veterans Treatment Court.
- Veterans Treatment Courts · February 21, 2020
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88th General Assembly