1. There is hereby created the “Sentencing and Corrections Oversight Commission”. The commission shall be composed of thirteen members as follows:

(1) A circuit court judge to be appointed by the chief justice of the Missouri supreme court;

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 217.147

  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Board: the parole board. See Missouri Laws 217.010
  • Department: the department of corrections of the state of Missouri. See Missouri Laws 217.010
  • Director: the director of the department of corrections or his or her designee. See Missouri Laws 217.010
  • Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
  • Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
  • Ranking minority member: The highest ranking (and usually longest serving) minority member of a committee or subcommittee.
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020

(2) Three members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, one of whom shall be a victim’s advocate, one of whom shall be a representative from the Missouri Sheriffs’ Association, and one of whom shall be a representative of the Missouri Association of Counties;

(3) The following shall be ex officio, voting members:

(a) The chair of the senate judiciary committee, or any successor committee that reviews legislation involving crime and criminal procedure, who shall serve as co-chair of the commission and the ranking minority member of such senate committee;

(b) The chair of the appropriations-public safety and corrections committee of the house of representatives, or any successor committee that reviews similar legislation, who shall serve as co-chair and the ranking minority member of such house committee;

(c) The director of the Missouri state public defender system, or his or her designee who is a practicing public defender;

(d) The executive director of the Missouri office of prosecution services, or his or her designee who is a practicing prosecutor;

(e) The director of the department of corrections, or his or her designee;

(f) The chairman of the board of probation and parole, or his or her designee;

(g) The chief justice of the Missouri supreme court, or his or her designee.

2. Beginning with the appointments made after August 28, 2012, the circuit court judge member shall be appointed for four years, two of the members appointed by the governor shall be appointed for three years, and one member appointed by the governor shall be appointed for two years. Thereafter, the members shall be appointed to serve four-year terms and shall serve until a successor is appointed. A vacancy in the office of a member shall be filled by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term.

3. The co-chairs are responsible for establishing and enforcing attendance and voting rules, bylaws, and the frequency, location, and time of meetings, and distributing meeting notices, except that the commission’s first meeting shall occur by February 28, 2013, and the commission shall meet at least twice each calendar year.

4. The duties of the commission shall include:

(1) Monitoring and assisting the implementation of sections 217.703, 217.718, and subsection 4 of section 559.036, and evaluating recidivism reductions, cost savings, and other effects resulting from the implementation;

(2) Determining ways to reinvest any cost savings to pay for the continued implementation of the sections listed in subdivision (1) of this subsection and other evidence-based practices for reducing recidivism; and

(3) Examining the issue of restitution for crime victims, including the amount ordered and collected annually, methods and costs of collection, and restitution’s order of priority in official procedures and documents.

5. The department, board, and office of state courts* administrator shall collect and report any data requested by the commission in a timely fashion.

6. The commission shall issue a report to the speaker of the house of representatives, senate president pro tempore, chief justice of the Missouri supreme court, and governor on December 31, 2013, and annually thereafter, detailing the effects of the sections listed in subdivision (1) of subsection 4 and providing the data and analysis demonstrating those effects. The report may also recommend ways to reinvest any cost savings into evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism and possible changes to sentencing and corrections policies and statutes.

7. The department of corrections shall provide administrative support to the commission to carry out the duties of this section.

8. No member shall receive any compensation for the performance of official duties, but the members who are not otherwise reimbursed by their agency shall be reimbursed for travel and other expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.

9. The provisions of this section shall automatically expire on August 28, 2018.