Indiana lawmakers say they’re confident the legislature will be able to complete its overhaul of the state’s criminal code by next summer’s deadline.
A committee meets this week to begin drafting legislation for the 2014 session.
The General Assembly passed a criminal code reform bill last session – House Bill 1006 - that one of its authors says constitutes 85-to-90% of the work needed to be done.
But that remaining ten-to15% is significant.
Indianapolis Republican Senator Michael Young chairs a legislative study committee that’s responsible for drafting much of the legislation needed to complete the criminal code overhaul.
He says one of his committee’s first tasks is cleaning up last session’s bill.
The criminal code overhaul is aimed at shifting more low-level offenders away from prison and into local community corrections programs.
It is set to take effect July 1 of 2014.