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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 3318

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2255 Session of 2008


        INTRODUCED BY CUTLER, BEYER, BOYD, FREEMAN, HENNESSEY,
           HUTCHINSON, KORTZ, MACKERETH, MARSHALL, McILVAINE SMITH,
           MENSCH, PASHINSKI, PYLE, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAYLOR, STERN, TRUE,
           TURZAI, WALKO, J. TAYLOR AND GEIST, MARCH 6, 2008

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 6, 2008

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the
     2     Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for courts.

     3     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     4  hereby enacts as follows:
     5     Section 1.  Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
     6  Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
     7  § 915.  Drug courts.
     8     (a)  Establishment.--The court of common pleas of a judicial
     9  district and the Municipal Court of Philadelphia may establish a
    10  drug court as a special criminal docket whereby defendants are
    11  admitted to a court-supervised individualized drug treatment
    12  program. The court may adopt local rules for the administration
    13  of the drug court and its related treatment services. The local
    14  rules may not be inconsistent with this section or any rules
    15  established by the Supreme Court.
    16     (b)  Statewide drug court coordinator.--The Supreme Court may
    17  appoint a Statewide drug court coordinator. The Statewide drug

     1  court coordinator may:
     2         (1)  Encourage and assist in the establishment of a drug
     3     court in each judicial district.
     4         (2)  Identify sources of funding for drug courts and
     5     their related treatment services, including the availability
     6     of grants.
     7         (3)  Provide coordination and technical assistance for
     8     grant applications.
     9         (4)  Develop model guidelines for the administration of
    10     drug courts and their related treatment services.
    11         (5)  Establish procedures for monitoring drug courts and
    12     their related treatment services and for evaluating the
    13     effectiveness of drug courts and their related treatment
    14     services.
    15     (c)  Advisory committee.--The Supreme Court may establish an
    16  interdisciplinary and interbranch advisory committee to advise
    17  and assist the Statewide drug court coordinator in monitoring
    18  and administrating drug courts Statewide.
    19     (d)  Imposition of surcharge.--A defendant convicted of a
    20  drug or alcohol-related offense in a judicial district in which
    21  the court has established a drug court may be ordered by the
    22  court to pay a surcharge of $25 which shall be collected in the
    23  same manner as other court costs. In addition to any grants or
    24  other money that may become available through public or private
    25  sources, the money collected through this surcharge shall be
    26  used by the county to fund the drug court and its related
    27  treatment services.
    28     (e)  Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
    29  words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
    30  subsection:
    20080H2255B3318                  - 2 -     

     1     "Drug or alcohol-related offense."  A criminal offense that
     2  the court determines was motivated by the defendant's
     3  consumption of or addiction to alcohol or a controlled
     4  substance, counterfeit, designer drug, drug, immediate precursor
     5  or marihuana, as those terms are defined in the act of April 14,
     6  1972 (P.L.233, No.64), known as The Controlled Substance, Drug,
     7  Device and Cosmetic Act.
     8     Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.















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