The Overview

If you are a veteran facing criminal charges in Arizona, a new law could soon offer a different path: it creates a grant program and fund that let cities and counties set up veterans' courts. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Stacey Travers, says it aims to connect former service members with reintegration resources. ​

Arizona's Veterans' Court Fund; Grant Program, HB 2960, became law when Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed it June 22. Veterans entering the criminal justice system may have underlying behavioral-health or substance-use issues, and court programs use supervised treatment plans to address those needs, according to the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services. The law requires the State Department of Corrections to send monthly lists of identified veterans with release dates within 90 days, and the two agencies must enter a memorandum of understanding for secure data sharing.

What the Law Does

The law creates a Veterans' Specialty Court Grant Program and a Veterans' Treatment Court Fund, both administered by the Arizona Attorney General. The fund draws from legislative appropriations and awards annual grants to municipalities and counties to set up veterans' court programs that support rehabilitation, promote collaboration among prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, community organizations, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and develop individualized treatment plans covering post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse.

The law also requires the State Department of Corrections to send the Department of Veterans' Services a monthly list of incarcerated veterans whose release falls within 90 days. That information is confidential and may be used solely for benefits counseling, eligibility determinations, and information about federal, state or local veterans' benefits and services. The Department of Veterans' Services must make reasonable efforts to contact those veterans before their release and for a reasonable period afterward, and the two agencies must enter a memorandum of understanding to set up secure data sharing.

Legislative Status

Rep. Stacey Travers (D) sponsored the bill, joined by 13 cosponsors including Leo Biasiucci, Gail Griffin, Mark Finchem, Kevin Payne, and nine others. The House passed the bill March 9, 37 to 15. The Senate passed it June 12, 28 to 1.

Travers described the law as creating a Veterans' Court Fund grant program to expand veterans treatment courts and help connect former service members with reintegration resources, according to Ahwatukee.com.

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