04/28/2025

Senate Bill 179

Lead Sponsors: Senator Terry Johnson

Status: Introduced (April 23, 2025)

Description: The bill generally increases the record keeping duties for jailers as it pertains to detainees (convicted and non-convicted) who are veterans.

Each county institution that has a jail, workhouse, minimum security jail, community-based correctional facility, or other facility where a term of imprisonment can be served must designate at least one individual to investigate the veteran status of each individual the institution serves, who appear before the institution, and who is imprisoned or charged with an offense that can result in imprisonment. For any individuals identified as veterans, the designated employee(s) must assist them in contacting veteran-related services.

The same requirements apply to the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, each court of common pleas, municipal court, county court, department of probation, and pre-trial diversion program, and each county veterans service commission.

The bill also adds providing financial assistance to a veterans treatment court and/or hiring and compensating individuals to work at a veterans treatment court to the enumerated list of duties of a veterans service commission.

CCAO Position: No position (as of April 2025), but it appears that the bill imposes an unfunded mandate upon counties that could necessitate hiring of additional staff.