MISSION STATEMENT
This committee addresses issues related to affirmative action;
criminal justice, including mandatory sentencing laws, alternatives
to incarceration, and ex-offender reentry services; state and federal
initiatives to eradicate illegal drug trafficking; crime victims’
assistance programs; and racial profiling. The committee monitors
judicial and U.S. Attorney appointments, Public Defender programs,
studies the disparate treatment of African Americans in convictions
and sentencing (including the death penalty), and formulates policy
to effect remediation. The committee also monitors redistricting
plans and enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It addresses
barriers to voting such as photo identification requirements and
the disenfranchisement of former offenders.
HEADLINES
House Votes 411-8 to Pass Ethics Overhaul: Far-Reaching
Measure Faces Senate Hurdles
The House gave final and overwhelming approval yesterday to a landmark
bill that would tighten ethics and lobbying rules for Congress,
forcing lawmakers to more fully detail how their campaigns are funded
and how they direct government spending.
The new lobbying bill would, for the first time, require lawmakers
to disclose small campaign contributions that are "bundled"
into large packages by lobbyists. It would require lobbyists to
detail their own campaign contributions, as well as payments to
presidential libraries, inaugural committees and charities controlled
by lawmakers. The proposal would also put new disclosure requirements
on special spending measures for pet projects, known as "earmarks."
"What we did today was momentous," declared House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "It's historic."
The bill is the most far-reaching attempt at ethics reform since
Watergate, although it is not as aggressive as some legislators
wanted in restricting the use of earmarks and in requiring the disclosure
of donation bundling. The legislation, which had been stalled until
negotiators worked out a deal in recent days to get it passed before
the August recess, is a priority for Democrats, who won control
of Congress in part because they had decried what they called "a
culture of corruption" under Republicans.
Although it passed the House 411 to 8, the bill could face hurdles
in the Senate, which is under a new ethics cloud after the FBI raid
Monday on Sen. Ted Stevens's house. Last night, a group of Republican
senators prevented Democrats from bringing up the bill, forcing
the scheduling of a vote tomorrow to break the filibuster. Still,
senators from both parties predicted easy passage by week's end.
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) all but dared Republicans
to try to block the proposal when it comes to a vote as early as
tomorrow. "With that resounding vote in the House, 411-8, I
think people ought to be concerned about voting against it,"
he said yesterday.
But in a closed-door lunch with fellow Republican senators yesterday,
Stevens (R-Alaska) himself threatened to block the measure, objecting
that the legislation's new restrictions on lawmakers' use of corporate
jets would unfairly penalize members of Congress who live in distant
states, such as himself.
The legislation would end secret "holds" in the Senate,
which allow a single senator to block action without disclosing
that he or she has done so. Members of Congress would no longer
be allowed to attend lavish parties thrown in their honor at political
conventions. Gifts, meals and travel funded by lobbyists would be
banned, and travel on corporate jets would be restricted. Lobbyists
would have to disclose their activities more often and on the Internet.
And lawmakers convicted of bribery, perjury and other crimes would
be denied their congressional pensions.
For more information visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/07/31/AR2007073100200_pf.html
Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services
Legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly
Budget bill, Section 173
2007
NAME: The Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services
PURPOSE:
The commission is established to develop and provide an implementation
plan to evaluate and address disproportionate representation of
youth of color in the use of youth services in juvenile justice,
child welfare, education and mental health services.
MEMBERSHIP:
33 members appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House and
President Pro Tempore of the Senate. These appointments must be
made no later than August 15, 2007.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Review Indiana’s public and private child welfare, juvenile
justice, mental health, and education service delivery systems to
evaluate disproportionality rates.
2. Review federal, state and local funds appropriated to address
disproportionality.
3. Review best practice standards addressing disproportionality.
4. Examine the qualifications and training of youth service providers
and make recommendations for training curriculum and other necessary
changes.
5. Recommend methods to improve use of available public and private
funds.
6. Provide information about unmet needs and make recommendations
to develop resources to meet identified needs.
7. Suggest policy, program and legislative changes related to youth
services to accomplish:
1. Enhancement of the quality of youth services.
2. Identify resources to promote change.
3. Reduction of the disproportionality in the use of youth services
by youth of color.
8. Prepare a report of the commission findings and recommendations,
and the presentation of an implementation plan to address disproportionate
representation of youth of color.
The commission shall submit the report to the governor and the
legislative council not later than August 15, 2008. The report shall
be made available to the public by December 1, 2008.
APPROPRIATION: $125,000.00 for the period of July 1, 2007 and ending
December 31, 2008, to carry out the purposes of this law, including
the hiring by the chairperson of an individual to serve only to
assist the chairperson and members with research, statistical analysis,
meeting support and drafting of the report.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION:
1. The dean or faculty member of an Indiana accredited graduate
school of public administration, social work, education, mental
health or juvenile justice, who shall serve as chairperson for the
commission.
2. The Superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent’s
designee
3. Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addictions or the
director’s designee
4. The executive Director of Indiana Criminal Justice Institute
or the director’s designee
5. The Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services or the
director’s designee
6. Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction or the commissioner’s
designee
7. DCS County Director from one of the most densely populated Counties
8. One Faculty member from an accredited Indiana college or university
that offers degrees in public administration, social work, education,
mental health or juvenile justice.
9. Prosecuting Attorney.
10. A Juvenile Court Judge.
11. An attorney who specializes in Juvenile Law.
12. A representative of the Indiana Minority Health Association.
13. A health care provider who specializes in pediatric or emergency
medicine.
14. A Public Agency Family Case Manager.
15. A Private Agency Children’s Service Social Worker.
16. A School Counselor or Social Worker.
17. A representative of Law Enforcement.
18. A Guardian Ad Litem, Court Appointed Special Advocate or other
child Advocate.
19. The Chairperson of an established advocacy group in Indiana
that has previously investigated the issue of disproportionality
in use of youth services.
20. A young adult who has had previous involvement with one (1)
youth service.
21. A representative of foster parents or adoptive parents.
22. A representative of a state teachers association or a public
school teacher.
23. A child psychologist or child psychiatrist.
24. A representative of a family support group
25. A representative from National Alliance on Mental Illness.
26. A representative of the Commission on the social status of Black
males.
27. A representative of Indiana Juvenile Detention Association.
28. A representative of the Commission on Hispanic/Latino affairs.
29. A representative of Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
30. Two members of House (not from same political party).
31. Two members of Senate (not from the same political party).
The Governor shall appoint the members under subdivisions 1, 7,
10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, & 29.
The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the members
under subdivisions 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 30.
The president pro tempore of the senate shall appoint the members
under subdivisions 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 31.
EXPIRATION: The legislation for this commission expires January
1, 2009.
RESOURCES AND USEFUL LINKS
Congressional Committees
House Judiciary Committee
http://judiciary.house.gov
Senate Judiciary Committee
http://judiciary.senate.gov
Drug Policy
Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs
http://www.breakchains.org/
National African American Drug Policy Coalition
http://www.naadpc.org/
Ethics
National Conference of State Legislators Center for Ethics
in Government
http://www.ncsl.org/ethics
Felon Disenfranchisement
Brennan Center for Justice
http://www.brennancenter.org/
Demos: A Network of Ideas & Action
http://www.demos.org/
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
http://naacpldf.org/landing.aspx?sub=40
Open Society Institute
www.osi-dc.org
The Sentencing Project
http://www.sentencingproject.org
Racial Profiling
Racial Profiling Data Collection Resource Center
http://www.racialprofilinganalysis.neu.edu/
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/
Redistricting and African-American Representation
Joint Center for Policy and Economic Studies
http://www.jointcenter.org/
Reentry Programs
National
HIRE Network
http://www.hirenetwork.org/
Re-entry
Policy Council
http://www.reentrypolicy.org/reentry/default.aspx
Sentencing Reform
American
Bar Association Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions
http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=CR209800
Center for Community Alternatives
http://www.communityalternatives.org/
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
http://www.famm.org.
National African American Drug Policy Coalition
http://www.naadpc.org/
The Prison Moratorium Project
http://www.nomoreprisons.org/
The Sentencing Project
http://www.sentencingproject.org
United States Sentencing Commission
http://www.ussc.gov/
Watching Justice
http://www.watchingjustice.org
Voter Information
Help America Vote Act of 2002
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_America_Vote_Act
National
Association of Secretaries of State
http://www.nass.org
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
http://www.eac.gov
Voter Protection
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
http://www.lawyerscomm.org/2005website/ep04/ep0920/epintro.html
Protect the Katrina Vote
http://www.katrinavote.org
Voter Turnout and Participation
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
http://www.bigvote.org
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html
Voting Rights Act of 1965
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,
Inc.
http://naacpldf.org/landing.aspx?sub=32
U.S. Department
of Justice Civil Rights Division, Voting Section
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/index.htm
PUBLICATIONS
“Commission on Disproportionality
in Youth Services
“Caught
in the Net: The Impact of Drug Policies on Women and Families,”
A Joint Report by American Civil Liberties Union, Break the Chains:
Communities of Color and the War on Drugs and Brennan Center for
Justice (February 2007)
“Public
Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America’s Prison Population
2007-2011,” Pew Charitable Trusts (2007)
“Relief
from the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction: A State-By-State
Resource Guide,” The Sentencing Project (February 2007)
“The
Politics of Voter Fraud,” Project Vote (March 2007)
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LAW, JUSTICE,
AND ETHICS POLICY COMMITTEE