Wyoming Legislature

Committee Meeting Summary of Proceedings

 

Management Audit Committee

 

July 26, 2006

University of Wyoming Foundation, 1200 E. Ivinson

Laramie, Wyoming

 

Meeting Attendance

 

Committee Members Present

Representative Randall Luthi, Chairman

 

Senator Ken Decaria

Senator John Hanes

Senator Kit Jennings

Senator Kathryn Sessions

 

Representative Roy Cohee

Representative Debbie Hammons

Representative Pete Illoway

Representative Marty Martin

 

Absent

Senator Grant Larson

            Senator John Schiffer

 

Legislative Service Office

Barbara J. Rogers, Program Evaluation Manager; Michael Swank, Program Evaluator; Jim Reuss, Associate Program Evaluator; Karla Smith, Associate Program Evaluator.

 

Others Present

Representative Monte Olsen.  Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.

 

 

Written Meeting Materials and Handouts

All meeting materials and handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office (LSO), public officials, lobbyists, and the public are referenced in the Meeting Materials Index, attached to the minutes.  These materials are on file at the LSO and are part of the official record of the meeting. 

 

Call To Order

Chairman Luthi called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.  The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic.  Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda.

 

Approval of Minutes

Representative Illoway moved to approve the minutes from the July 6, 2006 meeting.  Representative Martin seconded and the motion carried.

 

Executive Session

Per W.S. 28-8-107 (c), Chairman Luthi resolved the Committee into Executive Session for consideration of a staff presentation on the draft report, Drug Courts.  The Committee discussed the report’s findings and recommendations with officials from the Department of Health. 

 

Open Session

Chairman Luthi opened the meeting.  Representative Illoway moved and Representative Hammons seconded a motion to release the report Wyoming Drug Courts at noon on Thursday, July 27, 2006.  The motion carried.   

 

Discussion followed as to what action the Committee wished to take with regard to the report recommendations.  Senator  Hanes requested that copies of the full report be sent to members of the Judiciary Committee.  Members agreed additionally that staff should send full copies to the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, and the Joint Appropriations Committee. 

 

Senator Jennings moved and  Representative Illoway seconded a motion that the Legislative Service Office be instructed to draft legislation authorizing a steering committee whose purpose would be to help create a more uniform administration of drug courts across the state.  The committee would be empowered to explore different state-level structural models for drug courts, and to consider alternative adjudication procedures for them such as use of court commissioners, magistrates, administrative law judges and hearing officers.  The steering committee’s charge should also include:  examining the progress and value of the Substance Abuse Division’s newly-implemented Case Management System; reviewing the state funding model in relation to outcomes of individual courts; reviewing multi-agency, cross-branch collaboration; and consideration of how to bring non-participating, revenue-challenged counties into the drug court system. 

 

Steering committee members should consist of the State Drug Court Panel, four legislators (two from each chamber), and representatives from the municipal, circuit, and district levels of the Wyoming judiciary, to include both judges who are active in drug courts and those who do not currently participate; judicial appointments would be made by the Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court.  The Steering Committee should report its recommendations to the Joint Judiciary Committee by October 2007, which would allow time for that Committee to draft legislation for the 2008 Session.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

Other Business

Chairman Luthi led the Committee in a discussion of possible new topics.  The Committee requested that staff undertake first, a study of A&I Hiring Practices, and second, Kid Care CHIP.  Staff will report to the Committee by early October on the anticipated completion dates for these reports.  

 

Chairman Luthi then led the Committee in a work session to determine scoping papers to be prepared prior to the end of 2006, to assist members in selecting topics for study during the early months of 2007.   After discussion of several alternatives, the Committee selected in rank order:  the Retirement System; the state’s construction bid process; worker safety: injury and mortality rates; and Game and Fish Department, impact of non-game expenses.  Staff will prepare as many of these scoping papers as possible.

 

Chairman Luthi invited members to visit the Star Valley for the next meeting.  It was agreed this meeting will be held the morning of October 10, with the exact location to be determined later.  At the meeting the Committee will consider a follow-up on the 2004 report, Court-Ordered Placements at Residential Treatment Facilities, and will review draft legislation for possible introduction in the 2007 Session. 

 

Meeting Adjournment

There being no further business, Chairman Luthi adjourned the meeting at 3:20 p.m. 

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

Representative Randall Luthi, Chairman