Criminal Sentencing Community Service Veterans Organizations

Currently, only an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501 (c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code (tax code) may accept services offered through a program of community or useful public service operated by a county court, probation department, county sheriff, or other local governmental entity in connection with sentencing for specified misdemeanors. Veterans' service organizations may be organized under other provisions of the tax code such as section 501 (c)(4) or 501 (c)(19). The bill expands the criteria for organizations that may accept community or useful public service assignments to include veterans' service organizations organized under 501 (c)(4) or 501 (c)(19) of the tax code, and specifies that the court or other entity making the assignment retains discretion to determine which organizations may be included in its program of community or useful public service. Section 1 amends the statute dealing with misdemeanor sentencing generally. Sections 2 and 3 insert analogous provisions into the statutes dealing specifically with sentencing of persons convicted of drug offenses and alcohol-related driving offenses, respectively. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)