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MINUTES Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee Meeting Wednesday, August 7, 2002 10:00 a.m. Illinois Department of Corrections 100 West Randolph, JRTC Video Conference Room, 4th Floor Chicago, Illinois and 1301 Concordia Court, Conkle Hall, 1st Floor Springfield, Illinois Call to Order and Roll Call The Budget Committee of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority met on August 7, 2002 at 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois and at 1301 Concordia Court, Springfield, Illinois. The conference sites were linked via audio/video. Authority Chairman Peter Bensinger called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m. Other Authority members, Budget Committee members, and designees in attendance were Mr. Morales, Ms. Healy representing the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Mr. Bouche representing the Illinois State Police, Mr. Pecoraro representing the Illinois Department of Corrections (joined late at 10:40 a.m.), Mr. Apa, Director Goetten, and Mr. Farrell representing the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Also in attendance were Executive Director Kane, Mr. Taylor, and other members of the Authority staff. Approval of the Minutes of the May 22, 2002 Meeting Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 1 of the meeting booklet. Mr. Bouche made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 22, 2002 Budget Committee meeting. The motion was seconded by Director Goetten and passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY99 and FFY00 Anti-Drug Abuse Act Plan Adjustments Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 2 of the meeting booklet, which included a memo from Dr. Kane dated July 24, 2002 regarding the proposed adjustments to the FFY99 and FFY00 Anti-Drug Abuse Act plans. He then called on Ms. Egger to explain. FFY99 Ms. Egger stated that at the last Budget Committee meeting, members designated lapsing funds to the Authority in order to fund additional equipment proposals received through the LLEBG RFP process. She said that a listing of the 111 agencies receiving funds through this designation, the amount each is receiving, what each is purchasing, and what county the community is in is included in the meeting materials. Ms. Egger noted that the Illinois Department of Corrections is requesting to reallocate funds designated to the department for a community-based residential treatment program for adult offenders to a livescan project, as they are unable to use the funds by the deadline of September 30th for non-CHRI funds. She said that staff recommends using these lapsing funds for a CHRI project, but requests that the Information Systems Committee be consulted before a re-designation of funds is made. FFY00 Ms. Egger stated that staff recommends a re-designation of funds from the Illinois State Police to the Authority for a PIMS Upgrade project. FFY99 funds were previously redesignated for this purpose. She said that a vendor has been selected for this project and CMS is reviewing the paperwork. Ms. Egger noted that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office requests a supplemental designation for their Unsolved Homicides program in order to assist them with the prosecution of the Palatine Brown’s Chicken murder case. Chairman Bensinger noted that the livescan project presented a great improvement in community-based residential treatment. Mr. Farrell made a motion to approve the plan adjustments. Mr. Bouche seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY01 Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program Funding Recommendations Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 3, which included a memo from Dr. Kane dated July 24, 2002 regarding the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program funding recommendations for FFY01. He then called on Ms. Egger to explain. Ms. Egger said that staff recommends designations to the 130 agencies that have accepted their direct funding allocation, which is based upon formula and is described in the memo. Ms. Egger reported that the Illinois Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition met in April to discuss continued funding of the 15 non-direct funded projects. She said that the JCEC recommends continued funding with FFY01 funds for 12 of these programs. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 2 Ms. Egger noted that the JCEC also recommended continuing funding for the IL Department of Corrections Parole Improvement project. Ms. Egger called attention to the table on page 3 of the JAIBG memo which summarizes the recommendations for the allocation of the FFY01 award. She added that the Attachment A in the memo indicates individual award amounts. Mr. Taylor acknowledged the efforts of the Authority’s JAIBG staff members. He noted that the percentage of eligible programs funded increased form 63 percent in FFY00 to 86 percent in FFY01. Ms. Healy made a motion to approve the plan adjustments. Mr. Morales seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY01 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program Plan Adjustment (Major Crimes Task Force Recommendations) Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 4, which included a memo from Dr. Kane, dated July 24, 2002 regarding the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program plan Adjustment (Major Crimes Task Force Recommendations) for FFY01. He called on Ms. Egger to explain. Ms. Egger stated that 15% of the FFY01 LLEBG award was set-aside to fund equipment for major crime task forces. She said that staff recommends funding for all 10 task forces that submitted proposals. Ms. Egger called attention to the table on page 2 of the memo, which indicates the task forces, implementing agencies, recommended designations, and the equipment to be purchased. The table indicates that the implementing agency for the Major Case Assistance Team is to be determined. Ms. Egger said that the Village of Bartlett has agreed to act as implementing agency for this task force. The table indicates that light sources are among the equipment items to be purchased. Mr. Taylor explained that light sources are used to detect the presence of bodily and other fluids at crime scenes. He added that light sources are used by Major Crimes Task Forces and by all VAWA investigators. Mr. Bouche added that Chicago, Waukegan and Springfield Police Departments use light sources. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 3 Mr. Bouche also emphasized that it is important that police departments utilize state-ofthe-art equipment. He acknowledged that keeping up with technological advancements is inherently costly, but the benefits are well worth the money invested. Ms. Healy made a motion to approve the plan adjustments. Mr. Farrell seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY99 Victims of Crime Act Plan Adjustment Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 5, which included a memo from Dr. Kane dated July 24, 2002 regarding the Victims of Crime Act Plan Adjustments for FFY99. He called on Ms. Richards to explain. Ms. Richard stated that as the FFY99 fund life expires September 30, 2002, staff is requesting approval to reprogram any lapsing funds for one-time expenditures, such as equipment purchases and the printing of brochures that would enhance the provision of victim services under Illinois’ Criminal Justice Plan. She said that staff would report on any designations at the October 2002 Budget Committee meeting. Mr. Farrell made a motion to approve the plan adjustment. Mr. Morales seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY02 Victims of Crime Act Plan Adjustment and the FFY00 Violence Against Women Act Plan Adjustment Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 6, which included a memo from Dr. Kane dated July 24, 2002 regarding the Victims of Crime Act plan adjustment for FFY02 and the Violence Against Women Act plan adjustment for FFY00. He called on Ms. Richards to explain. Ms. Richards explained that the plan adjustments represent a switch in funding sources to allow for the best use of available funds to meet the needs of victims in Illinois. She stated that VOCA FFY00 funds that were set aside for the continuation of 10 transitional housing programs were reduced at the May 2002 Budget Committee meeting due to a change in position by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). OVC had reversed its earlier decision and determined that rent and utilities for transitional housing programs could not be funded with VOCA dollars. She noted that OVC was once again looking at this issue and had asked the Authority for further information and that since that time, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 4 OVC has determined that it will stick with its ruling that rent and utilities are not VOCA fundable. Ms. Richards stated that to meet the funding needs of these programs, staff is recommending that the VAWA FFY00 discretionary funds that were designated to the City of Chicago for the Domestic Violence Helpline program be used instead to cover the rent and utilities costs for the transitional housing programs. Ms. Richards explained that the transitional housing programs need $335,109 to cover the unallowable VOCA costs. She said that the Helpline was designated $350,000 in VAWA funds, which is more than adequate to cover the costs of the transitional housing programs. She said that the remaining $14,891 in VAWA funds not required by the housing programs would be added to other undesignated VAWA FFY00 discretionary funds. Ms. Richards stated that staff further recommends that $350,000 in VOCA FFY02 unallocated funds be designated to the Helpline to replace the VAWA funding. Ms. Richards said that these recommendations would allow the transitional housing programs and the Helpline to continue to provide needed services to victims of domestic violence. Dr. Kane emphasized the need for transitional housing. She said that it must be taken seriously as future needs increase. She also noted that many battered women seeking transitional housing are functionally illiterate, including immigrant women who are illiterate in their native languages, and are therefore in tremendous need of transitional housing to get them out of abusive homes. She stressed that education is critical to financial independence for these women. (Mr. Pecoraro joined the meeting via audio/video link from Joliet at this point.) Mr. Morales made a motion to approve the plan adjustments. Mr. Bouche seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Approval of the FFY97 Violence Against Women Act Plan Adjustment FFY98 Violence Against Women Act Plan Adjustment FFY99 Violence Against Women Act Plan Adjustment FFY00 Violence Against Women Act Plan Adjustment Authority Chairman Bensinger introduced Tab 7, which included a memo from Dr. Kane dated July 24, 2002 regarding the Violence Against Women Act plan adjustments for FFY97, FFY98, FFY99 and FFY00. He called on Ms. Richards to explain. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 5 Ms. Richards called attention to the table on page one of the memo which provides a summary of the total amount of VAWA funds available in the areas of law enforcement, prosecution, and discretionary for FFY97-FFY00. She said that a significant amount of funds from each of the years listed have lapsed and been reprogrammed. Some of these funds have been reprogrammed several times. Following are the totals as depicted in the memo: Fund Year Total Unallocated Law Enforcement Prosecution Discretionary $611,683** $381,345 $85,863 Ms Richards reported that the totals included a potential lapse of $189,865 from Chicago Police Department (CPD) from its sexual assault and domestic violence grant programs. She added that the majority of these funds will be returned to the Authority. Ms. Richards stated that staff has requested an extension on the use of the FFY00 funds from the Violence Against Women Office (VAWO). The request is pending, and staff does not anticipate a problem in receiving an extension. Ms. Richards stated that although a formal request cannot be made until 60 days prior to the end of the fund life, she does not believe that the Authority will be granted any further extensions on the FFY97 funds. She said that staff has received an indication from VAWO that an extension of VAWA FFY98 may be possible, but that will not be known for sure until later this year Ms. Richards stated that since there is a need to use the older VAWA funds in the most effective manner, staff is requesting permission to make determinations on fund year and type of funds to be used for each of the programs recommended for designation. She said that these determinations would be contingent upon the response received from VAWO as to the possibility of extensions of the fund lives. This action will help reduce the amount of funds lapsed and returned to VAWO, she said. She added that staff would report at a later date as to the fund year and type used for each designation. Ms. Richards stated that staff is recommending that four programs definitely receive funding. These recommended programs are: The Rockford Police Department for equipment needs for use on domestic violence calls. The Illinois Department of Health for the printing of a booklet for healthcare providers on recognizing and treating domestic violence victims. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 6 The Authority for scholarships for criminal justice professionals to attend the NCDA conference to be held in Chicago in October. The Authority for the purchase of videotapes on sexual assault to be used by the judiciary and prosecutors. Ms. Richards added that staff is also seeking approval to fund the following initiatives, depending on fund life extensions and other factors: A one-day training session on crime victim law and litigation that would address crime victim rights in the criminal justice process. Participant focus would be on prosecutors and civil legal assistance attorneys, and Additional funding to the Illinois State Police (ISP) for DNA analysis of backlogged sexual assault evidence. Staff had been researching the possibility of receiving a waiver for the match requirement to reduce the burden on ISP, but the VAWA Office has turned down the request. Staff recommends that any remaining law enforcement funds be designated to ISP for this purpose. Ms. Richards noted that CPD will be unable to expend the majority of the funds shown in the table. She said that staff is recommending that these funds be rescinded and that staff would further recommend that these funds be applied toward the designations previously mentioned. Ms. Richards stated that staff would report back on these matters at the October 2002 Budget Committee meeting. Chairman Bensinger called attention to the four Budget Committee Grant Designation sheets (pink sheets in the booklets) for further details on the programs to be funded. A general discussion followed outlining VAWA funding sources and fund availability. A discussion of Sexual Assault programs then began. The Chicago Police Department representative noted that $105,000 is available for designation sites. He said that the department uses VAWA FFY98 funds to support training and that the department only requests funds that it is confident it can spend. He reiterated the department’s commitment to drafting a Sexual Assault Protocol. The discussion then addressed issues relating to DNA evidence gathering. Mr. Bouche noted that the need for processing DNA evidence is increasing, but funding for such programs is not. Mr. Morales said that funding for DNA evidence processing should be relative to the scale of the need and that any money spent on DNA processing programs would be money well spent. He felt that $500,000 is a nominal amount to earmark for Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 7 DNA programs. The discussion then shifted its focus to sexual assault caseload. Ms. Healy indicated that as policies change and as sexual assault awareness and awareness of programs that deal with sexual assault increases, so will the number of cases. She said that this does not necessarily reflect a change in the number of sexual assault crimes committed. Mr. Farrell said that a nominal increase in funding for sexual assault programs would be appropriate. He said that any funds would go to good use, especially in dealing with the backlog of sexual assault cases. Mr. Farrell made a motion to approve the plan adjustments. Mr. Morales seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Old Business None. New Business Mr. Bouche mentioned that the livescan project had encountered difficulties in the approval process with Central Management Services (CMS). He said that many contracts signed at the local level have been in CMS hands for up to four months with little or no action taken. He said that funds for approved contracts had been placed in escrow accounts pending their release to third party vendors. He said that this problem has been brought to the attention of CMS many times. Ms. Egger said that due to the reallocation of funds for the livescan project, the funds may be expended beyond their original expiration date of September 30, 2002. Chairman Bensinger announced that Ms. Richards will soon be leaving her position at the Authority. He thanked her for her years of service. Also briefly discussed were the shared efforts of the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Chicago Police Department in implementing an effective parole program. Also noted were the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to conceptualize and design a model probation program. Adjourn Mr. Pecoraro made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bouche and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Budget Committee May 22, 2002 Page 8