Tabled

AMENDMENT NO 1 PROPOSED TO

Senate Bill No. 2376

BY: Committee

     Amend by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

SECTION 1.  (1)  There is hereby created the Youth Court Disclosure Task Force to undertake a comprehensive analysis of all matters related to disclosure of confidential records in youth court to determine the best practices for disclosure of such information.  The task force shall be chaired by the House Judiciary B Committee Chairperson and co-chaired by the Senate Judiciary B Committee Chairperson and shall be composed of a total of seven (7) members, with five (5) members to be appointed as follows:

          (a)  The Commissioner of the Department of Child Protection Services or a designee;

          (b)  The President of the Mississippi Public Defender Association, or a designee;

          (c)  The President of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association, or a designee;

          (d)  One (1) member representing a child advocacy group  appointed by the Attorney General;

          (e)  One (1) youth court judge appointed by the Administrative Office of Courts.

     (2)  The members of the task force shall be appointed within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this act.  Any vacancy in the task force shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled as prescribed in subsection (1).  The task force shall hold its first meeting within sixty (60) days of the effective date of this act, on the call of the chairman of the task force.  A majority of the membership of the task force shall constitute a quorum, and shall meet at the call of the chairman, or upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the task force.  All members must be notified in writing of all meetings at least five (5) days before the date on which a meeting of the task force is scheduled.

     (3)  The members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

     (4)  The task force shall prepare and submit a final report that contains a detailed statement of findings, conclusions and recommendations of the task force to the Legislature by October 31, 2023.  The report shall be made available to the public.

     SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2023.

     Further, amend by striking the title in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

     AN ACT TO CREATE THE YOUTH COURT DISCLOSURE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE THE PURPOSES OF THE TASK FORCE; TO DESIGNATE THE CHAIRPERSON AND CO-CHAIRPERSON OF THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPOINTED MEMBERS TO THE TASK FORCE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.