HF 2831

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to crime prevention; requiring the 
  1.3             commissioner of corrections to develop a plan for 
  1.4             services and transitional housing for native American 
  1.5             women leaving incarceration; requiring a report. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN REENTRY PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [PLAN FOR PROGRAM.] The commissioner of 
  1.9   corrections shall develop a plan to implement a culturally 
  1.10  specific reentry program to provide transitional housing and 
  1.11  other services to native American women leaving the Minnesota 
  1.12  correctional facility-Shakopee.  To develop the plan, the 
  1.13  commissioner shall collaborate with the Minnesota housing 
  1.14  finance agency on transitional housing issues and shall 
  1.15  collaborate with Minnesota State University at Mankato for a 
  1.16  needs assessment. 
  1.17     In developing a plan to implement the reentry program, the 
  1.18  commissioner shall consider the following criteria for the 
  1.19  program: 
  1.20     (1) it must be for native American women, women who 
  1.21  identify with native American culture or women who have native 
  1.22  American children or who identify their children as native 
  1.23  American; 
  1.24     (2) it must be able to initiate and continue counseling in 
  1.25  healthy living, chemical dependency, anger management, domestic 
  2.1   violence, family abuse, and posttraumatic stress; 
  2.2      (3) it must provide services to prepare the women for work 
  2.3   and school; 
  2.4      (4) it must provide cultural experiences and cultural 
  2.5   education, including counseling and instruction in traditional 
  2.6   parenting, where appropriate; and 
  2.7      (5) it must assist the women in restorative justice 
  2.8   projects that give something back to their community. 
  2.9      Subd. 2.  [REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE.] On or before October 
  2.10  10, 2000, the commissioner of corrections shall submit a report 
  2.11  outlining the plan to implement the native American women 
  2.12  reentry program to the members of the house and senate 
  2.13  committees and divisions having jurisdiction over criminal 
  2.14  justice funding.  In addition, the report shall comply with 
  2.15  Minnesota Statutes, sections 3.195 and 3.197.