An Act to create 301.096 of the statutes; Relating to: performance grants based on improving employment rates for individuals on probation, parole, or extended supervision. (FE)
Summary
AB297 would create a new performance grant program within the Department of Corrections for adult probation and parole regional offices. The grants would be tied to improvements in employment outcomes for people on probation, parole, or extended supervision in each region. DOC would calculate a baseline employment rate using fiscal years 2021-22 through 2023-24, then compare each subsequent fiscal year’s employment rate against that baseline to determine whether a regional office qualifies for funding.
If a region’s employment rate improves, the office would receive a grant based on the size of the improvement and the number of supervised individuals in the region, with the formula multiplying the increase by the supervised population and then by $2,500. Offices that receive grants must use the money to provide employee bonuses. The bill also directs DOC to develop and publish outcome-based measures, including employment rates, average length of employment, new-crime conviction rates, completion of supervision, program changes, and estimated state savings from reduced incarceration costs. DOC would also prepare annual public reports for the Legislature and Joint Committee on Finance on the program’s effectiveness and possible resource or collaboration recommendations.
Impact
The bill would create new statutory authority in chapter 301 for a DOC-administered incentive program focused on community supervision outcomes. It would require the department to collect and publish new data on employment, recidivism, supervision completion, program changes, and estimated correctional savings, and it would establish a formula for distributing grant funds to regional probation and parole offices. The practical effect would be to tie a portion of state correctional funding to measurable employment improvements among supervised individuals and to require regional offices to use awarded funds for staff bonuses.
Sentiment
The bill’s design suggests a generally reform-oriented, performance-based approach to corrections policy, emphasizing employment as a factor in reducing recidivism and lowering incarceration costs. However, the available record contains no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the materials provided. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Contention
The main policy questions raised by the bill are likely to be whether employment-based incentives are an effective and fair way to measure probation and parole office performance, how reliable the required data will be, and whether bonus payments are the best use of grant funds. The bill also limits eligibility if a region had increased revocations for new crimes in the prior year, which could be contentious for offices serving higher-risk populations. Another possible point of concern is the complexity of the formula and reporting requirements, including DOC’s authority to use best available data when exact measures are not available.
Crossfiled
An Act to create 301.096 of the statutes; Relating to: performance grants based on improving employment rates for individuals on probation, parole, or extended supervision. (FE)