The age at which a person is subject to juvenile court jurisdiction and making appropriations. (FE)

Currently, subject to certain exceptions, a person under 17 years of age who is alleged to have violated a criminal law is subject to the procedures specified in the Juvenile Justice Code and, on being adjudicated delinquent, is subject to an array of dispositions under that code including placement in a juvenile correctional facility.

The bill raises from 17 to 18 the age at which a person who is alleged to have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance is subject to the jurisdiction and procedures of the circuit court or, if applicable, the municipal court if the person has not been alleged, in a complaint or citation filed with the court, to have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance after previously being convicted of a crime or adjudicated delinquent.

Under current law, a person 17 years of age or older who is alleged to have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance is subject to the jurisdiction and procedures of the circuit court or, if applicable, the municipal court, while a person under 17 years of age who is alleged to have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance, subject to certain exceptions, is subject to the jurisdiction and procedures of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under the Juvenile Justice Code.

The bill appropriates $5,000,000 in fiscal year 2018-19 to the Department of Children and Families to reimburse counties for the cost of providing juvenile delinquency-related services to 17-year-olds and requires DCF to work with county departments to develop a plan to distribute the funds. The plan must be submitted to the Joint Committee on Finance for passive review. If the cost to counties exceeds $5,000,000, the bill requires DCF to request up to $5,000,000 in additional funding from JCF in fiscal year 2018-19. The bill also requires DCF, in collaboration with the counties, and by no later than October 30, 2019, to submit a report to JCF on the cost of providing juvenile delinquency-related services to 17-year-olds during the first year of implementation of the bill.