SALT LAKE CITY—It’s week four of the legislative session and there are still a lot of moving parts. Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-North Salt Lake, is working to get hers through the process and ultimately passed. As the vice chair of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, Ballard has a few bills associated with that.

“HB224 (Inmate Reentry, Finances, and Debt Modifications) aligns with the state debt agency to help inmates pay back debts upon release and while they’re incarcerated,” said Ballard. “It’s good for the victims. We already engage in having the inmate pay for restoration during incarceration.”

The family can pay the debt to help alleviate it, she said. “Eighty percent of those incarcerated don’t have a high school diploma. This helps them to learn how to manage a budget and pay the debt. It’s an important part of being a contributing member of society.”

Ballard is also running HB49 Juror Eligibility Amendments. “It’s reinstating the rights of those who have previously had a felony record,” she said. “They’ve completed their incarceration but they don’t have the right to be a juror.”

In 10 years they could run for political office, said Ballard. “But they can’t be a juror. Prosectors have a bias with this issue. You can have 10 misdemeanors and they don’t care. This bill will reinstate their right to be a juror.”

There are more criminal justice bills than ever before this session, she said. “One in four children will be sexually abused. There are multiple bills about child sexual exploitation. Utah is getting serious about protecting children and for having substantial consequences for those who abuse.”

There will be stiffer penalties and new definitions, said Ballard. “Stronger language on things like torture and adults with decreased mental capacity as well as children. There’s a lot in the Law Enforcement Standing Committee that addresses this.”

It’s a fine balance between being able to prosecute the perpetrators, she said. “And figuring out how to have them reenter society and become contributing members of society and keep the public safe. We need a better process and better parameters.”

Another bill Ballard is running that’s outside of criminal justice is HB317 Executive Agency Innovation Incentives. “It’s about the cost of big government,” she said. “It emphasizes relocating funds and modernizing and innovating. It’s good for the taxpayer to make sure the legislature is not just adding to the cost of government across all agencies.”

There’s a bill about higher education, said Ballard. “It’s not a punishment or heavy hand. It just facilitates a look at where spending should be. For the first time there is a matrix for government agencies to know about ways to look for innovation. Things like modernizing the IT system or changing HR costs.”

It’s also relocating non lapsing funds at the end of the year, she said. “You look at what's left over that you can use for government efficiency. This way we’re coming up with that matrix so they can look at why they’re not doing that.”

Currently, Ballard’s bills are still moving through the process with the session ending March 7.