veterans' court fund; grant program, the official text

House Engrossed

veterans' court fund;
grant program

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2960

AN
ACT

amending title 12, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 12-119.06; amending title 41, chapter
11, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 41-1610.04;
relating to VETERANS' SERVICES.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 12, chapter 1, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 12-119.06, to read:

START_STATUTE12-119.06. Veterans'
specialty court grant program; veterans' treatment court fund; administration;
purpose; annual reports

A. The veterans' specialty court
grant program is established for municipalities and counties in this state to
establish a veterans' court program. The administrative
office of the courts shall administer the veterans' specialty court grant
program. The supreme court shall adopt rules as necessary and establish criteria to implement this section.  Grant monies may be used to establish new veterans' court programs and
to expand and enhance existing veterans' court programs established pursuant to
section 22-601.

B. The veterans' specialty court
grant program shall:

1. Support the rehabilitation and
reintegration of veterans as contributing members of their communities.

2. Promote collaboration among
prosecutors, defense counsels, judges, community-based support
organizations in this state, the United States department of veterans affairs
and the department of veterans' services.

3. Develop and oversee individualized
treatment plans to address the underlying causes of justice-involved
veterans' behavior, including any of the following:

(a) Post-traumatic
stress disorder.

(b) Traumatic
brain injury.

(c) Anger
management.

(d) Domestic
violence prevention and intervention.

(e) Alcohol and
drug abuse treatment.

C. The veterans' treatment court fund
is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The administrative office of the courts shall administer the fund. Monies
in the fund are continuously appropriated.  The fund may be used to provide
monies to municipalities and counties in this state to establish a veterans'
court program pursuant to this section and to expand and
enhance existing veterans' court programs established pursuant to section
22-601. Applicants shall submit an application on a form prescribed
by the administrative office of the courts.  Fund monies
shall be awarded annually to grantees and shall be used for any relevant
administrative costs, including hiring personnel to establish, maintain or
enhance a veterans' court program.

D. The administrative
office of the courts shall collaborate with county attorneys, municipal
prosecutors, public defenders and any relevant stakeholders to establish the
best practices and standards for the administration of veterans' court programs
and data collection in this state.

E. On
or before December 31 of each year, each grantee shall submit a report to the administrative office of the courts that includes all of the
following:

1. The
number of veterans served, separated by type of offense, demographics and
military service history.

2. Arrest and recidivism rates among
veterans' court program participants.

3. Veterans' court program completion
rates and participant outcomes.

4. Use of mental health and substance
abuse treatment services.

5. Recommendations for veterans'
court program and veterans' specialty court grant program improvement.

F. On or before March 1 of each year,
the administrative office of the courts shall submit a
comprehensive annual report to the governor, the president of the senate and
the speaker of the house of representatives that analyzes the data submitted
pursuant to subsection E of this section and that summarizes and includes all
of the following:

1. Statewide data on veterans' court
programs that incorporate grantee-reported metrics on participation,
recidivism and treatment outcomes.

2. Challenges and barriers to
veterans' court program implementation, based on grantee feedback and data.

3. Recommendations for enhancing the
identification and assessment of veterans within the criminal justice system of
this state, including data collection protocols and best practices for cross-agency
collaboration and data sharing among federal, state and local stakeholders.

4. Policy and funding recommendations
to improve veterans' court program and veterans' specialty court grant program
effectiveness and sustainability.

Sec. 2. Title
41, chapter 11, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding
section 41-1610.04, to read:

START_STATUTE41-1610.04. Department of veterans'
services; veteran identification; anticipated
release; confidentiality; annual
report; definition

A. NOTWITHSTANDING
any other law, the department shall make reasonable efforts to identify
incarcerated individuals who are veterans in this state.

B. On a
monthly basis and to the extent practicable, the state department
of corrections shall provide to
the Department of Veterans' Services a list of
incarcerated individuals who are identified as
veterans and who have an anticipated release date within ninety
days.  The information shared shall be limited to the
minimum information necessary to identify the individual and facilitate
outreach.

C. Information
shared pursuant to subsection B of this section is confidential, is not subject
to public disclosure and shall be used solely for the purpose of enabling the
Department of Veterans' Services to
provide benefits counseling, assist with eligibility determinations
and provide information regarding available federal, state or local veterans'
benefits and services.

D. The
Department of Veterans' Services shall
make a reasonable effort to contact individuals identified on the list before
the individual's release from incarceration and
for a reasonable period following the individual's release
from incarceration for the purposes
described in this section.

E. The state
department of corrections and the Department of
Veterans' Services shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding to establish procedures for secure data sharing consistent with
applicable state and federal confidentiality laws.

F. On or
before december 31, 2026 and each year thereafter, the state
department of corrections, in coordination with THE DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS' SERVICES, shall submit a report to the governor, the
president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives
regarding the implementation of this section during the preceding fiscal year.
The report must include data on
all of the following:

1. The
number of currently incarcerated individuals identified as veterans as of june
30 of the preceding fiscal year.

2. The
total number of veterans who were anticipated for
release from incarceration and who were referred
to the department of veterans' services during
the preceding fiscal year.

3. The
number of veterans who were assisted with
initiation, reinstatement or coordination of veterans benefits before
or after release from INCARCERATION
during the preceding fiscal year.

G. For
the purposes of this section, "Veteran" has the same meaning
prescribed in section 41-601. END_STATUTE