An overview of MACo’s advocacy on public safety and corrections legislation in the 2018 General Assembly.
Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo’s Legislative Database.
MACo successfully opposed a bill that would have set a broad prohibition on the ability of local jails to impose fees for pretrial services, which may result in unintended consequences affecting the ability to provide pretrial services. House Bill 480 / Senate Bill 484 received an unfavorable report from its committee. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Pretrial Cost Recovery is Critical to Provision of the Service
MACo opposed a bill that would have restricted the ability
for local jails to recoup limited costs for an inmate’s participation in pre-release or work release programs, which could result in the unintended consequence of depleting the availability of these valued offerings. House Bill 1313 received an unfavorable report from its Committee. Bill Information
MACo opposed a bill that would have required each county that receives State funding for public safety purposes to establish a pre-release program that provides specified rehabilitative activities and authorized a certain judge to approve the transfer of inmates to a pre-release centers. House Bill 1733 was a late introduction an was never granted a hearing. Bill Information
MACo successfully supported a bill that as it strives to address the
pressing issue of defendants with serious mental illness being held in jail despite an order of commitment to a state treatment facility. House Bill 111 / Senate Bill 233 was passed by the General Assembly and awaits the Governor’s signature. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: General Assembly Passes Bill to Expedite Inmate Mental Illness Placements
MACo supported a bill that strives to address the pressing issue of defendants with serious mental illness being held in jail despite an order of commitment to a state treatment facility. Unfortunately, House Bill 385 received an unfavorable report from its committee. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Failure to Follow a Prompt Placement of Defendants Leads to Penalties
MACo successfully supported a bill that creates a fund to help with
the establishment and advancement of pretrial services in jails across the state. House Bill 447 / Senate Bill 1156 was passed by the General Assembly and awaits the Governor’s signature. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Pretrial Programs Limit Unnecessary Incarceration
MACo supported a bill that would have established the Youth Crime Prevention and Diversion Parole Fund to provide grant assistance to local law enforcement agencies to police high-crime areas. Unfortunately, House Bill 1732 was introduced late and never received a hearing. Bill Information
MACo supported with amendments a bill to ensure counties retain the authority to take swift action against alarm system contractors that shirk their responsibilities and violate local laws. MACo advanced that the bill’s original 10-day time frame would hinder the ability of local governments to effectively hold bad acting
contractors accountable. House Bill 1117 / Senate Bill 927 was passed by the General Assembly with MACo’s amendments and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Proper Alarm System Registration Helps Counties Marshal Resources
MACo supported with amendments a bill to authorize
rather than mandate additional terms for length of service awards programs. MACo’s proposed amendments would ensure that counties can continue to effectively administer the programs in the best interests of their counties and volunteers. When MACo’s amendments were not added by the sponsor, House Bill 1515 did not advance as a mandate. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Mandate Across Counties Establishes an Unpredictable Fiscal Impact
