(A) Any public, private, or nonprofit entity whose primary purpose is in helping to rehabilitate and reintroduce into the community paroled inmates and which as part of its program provides or furnishes residential housing in the community to these parolees on either an individual or communal basis must comply with the following provisions of this section in addition to all other requirements of law:
(1) The entity, at least sixty days before locating any parolees in any type of residential facility, including manufactured homes, must publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the community giving the date, time, and location of the public hearing, and the address of where the residential facility will be located and post a conspicuous notice at the proposed location. A separate notice is required each time such a facility is to be opened.
(2) A public hearing must be conducted by the entity at least thirty days before the first residential facility opens in the community where all residents of the community must be given an opportunity to comment on the program and on the location of any or all of the proposed facilities which have been determined by the entity as of the date of the public hearing. The hearing is for informational purposes only and does not bind the decision-making authority of the entity. The entity solely is responsible for organizing and conducting the hearing. A separate public hearing is required each time a facility is to be opened if more than ninety days has transpired since the last public hearing.
(B) The Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and its staff members are exempt from the provisions of this section. Family members or other persons providing housing to a parolee, but not operating an on-going program targeting the reintegration of parolees, are exempt from the provisions of this section.
(C) This section only applies to a county, incorporated municipality, or town where there are no zoning requirements.
(D) The provisions of this section must be complied with before a facility may be opened after the effective date of this section.
HISTORY: 2016 Act No. 201 (S.338), Section 1, eff June 3, 2016.