1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to corrections; establishing the Peace of Hope Transit Rides pilot project 
1.3 	to provide transportation and related services for families of incarcerated offenders 
1.4 	to visit loved ones incarcerated in state correctional facilities; appropriating money.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. PEACE OF HOPE TRANSIT RIDES PILOT PROJECT.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Grant. The commissioner of corrections shall award a grant to Peace of 
1.8 	Hope, Inc. to develop and implement the Peace of Hope Transit Rides pilot project to expand 
1.9 	Peace of Hope's current service providing transportation to families of incarcerated offenders 
1.10 	to visit the offender in a correctional facility. Peace of Hope shall facilitate an entire 
1.11 	full-service, regularly scheduled, round-trip transportation experience with designated 
1.12 	pick-up locations, and other options when applicable for families of an incarcerated offender 
1.13 	including, at a minimum:
1.14 	(1) registration;
1.15 	(2) information through orientation;
1.16 	(3) support of family members of the incarcerated offender;
1.17 	(4) sharing resources; and
1.18 	(5) follow-up for up to six months after the visit.
1.19 	The Peace of Hope Transit Rides pilot project shall serve families visiting incarcerated 
1.20 	offenders who are of all offender risk levels and who are incarcerated in state correctional 
1.21 	facilities. The pilot project is from September 1, 2019, through August 31, 2021.
2.1 		Subd. 2.Goals. The goals of the pilot project are to:
2.2 	(1) remove transportation to state correctional facilities as the main barrier to visitation 
2.3 	by families of incarcerated offenders by providing adequate, reliable, and consistent 
2.4 	transportation to the families of the incarcerated;
2.5 	(2) promote family unity and strengthen the bonds of the family network during 
2.6 	incarceration of one or more family members by providing age category education through 
2.7 	various programs of Peace of Hope and related partners;
2.8 	(3) relieve stresses such as separation anxiety, severe depression, fear, inability to function 
2.9 	at the highest level in social settings including at a minimum work and school, and many 
2.10 	other maladies associated with family members who are unable to visit incarcerated loved 
2.11 	ones due to lack of transportation;
2.12 	(4) encourage continued parenting for the benefit of the children of incarcerated family 
2.13 	members by scheduling transportation around school schedules;
2.14 	(5) increase school and employment success for families of incarcerated offenders by 
2.15 	promoting hope through visitation with loved ones in state correctional facilities;
2.16 	(6) improve on the state's proven reduction in recidivism record by increasing visitation 
2.17 	between families of incarcerated offenders and the incarcerated offenders; and
2.18 	(7) decrease the level of agitation and possible violence within correctional facilities by 
2.19 	encouraging future family unification through consistent visitation as a relevant incentive.
2.20 		Subd. 3.Evaluation; report. By November 1, 2021, Peace of Hope, Inc. must report 
2.21 	to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate 
2.22 	committees with jurisdiction over corrections on the development, implementation, impact, 
2.23 	and outcomes of the pilot project.

2.24 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.25 	$800,000 in fiscal year 2020 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
2.26 	of corrections for a grant to Peace of Hope, Inc. for the Peace of Hope Transit Rides pilot 
2.27 	project under section 1. This appropriation is a available until expended.