Senate passes House File 2781 to change juvenile detention home funding; 34-9

The Senate passed House File 2781, a bill that adjusts how money from the juvenile detention homes fund is distributed, by a roll-call vote of 34 to 9.

Senator Costello (Senator from Mills), who opened debate, said the bill "requires the department to provide $150,000 to each eligible county or multi county juvenile detention home, and then the remaining amount shall be prorated and distributed based on proportion of cost of all eligible juvenile detention homes based on the prior fiscal year." She described the measure as "an improvement on our current funding system" and said it is "a little more fair to many of us."

Senator Peterson (Senator from Polk) urged caution, saying the measure "doesn't really fix the problem" and arguing the underlying issue is an underfunded system; he warned that some areas "will do better by this and other areas will do worse," with costs potentially passed to property taxpayers.

After closing debate, Senator Costello moved that the bill be read for the final time and placed on its passage. The chair put the question, the secretary opened the voting system, and a roll call produced 34 ayes and 9 nays. The presiding officer declared the bill passed and the title agreed to. A senator then requested unanimous consent to immediately message House File 2781 to the House; hearing no objections, the Senate ordered the bill sent.

The session recessed for caucuses after the vote; Senator Klemish announced that Senate Republicans would caucus in Room 22.

What happens next: The bill was messaged to the House for its receipt and any follow-up required under chamber rules. Details about the total appropriation amount in the fund, the fiscal-year reference used for prorating, and which counties qualify as "eligible" are not specified in the floor remarks and were not resolved on the Senate floor during this proceeding.