April 22, 2025 — The Finance, Ways, and Means subcommittee voted 12-0 to advance House Bill 1358 to the full finance committee, sending to the next stage a proposal to create an eight-member planning committee to study siting and building a facility in the Western Grand Division for juveniles detained while awaiting adjudication.

Chairlady Shirley Littleton, sponsor of the bill, told members: "This bill requires by July, the first of 20 25, the Speaker and, of the Senate and the House of Representatives to appoint 8 members committee to plan for the building, of an appropriate facility in the Western Grand Division to house children who have been detained while awaiting adjudication on allegations of delinquency or unruliness. There's a home that we think there's a place that's in Jackson that they've been looking at already, but we feel like pre adjudication juveniles do not need to be with those that have been convicted already. So we think they do not belong in the same building together or together, And this would keep them separated."

Members adopted two amendments before the final vote. The first was recorded as drafting code 07/1973 and was put on the bill. The second, drafting code 8,076, offered by Chairman Hicks, "just simply allows all members of the study committee to participate electronically," he said; members approved that amendment and the chair noted the Hicks amendment removed the fiscal note and fiscal impact, enabling the bill to be heard in the subcommittee that day.

After brief discussion the subcommittee voted. The clerk reported a tally of 12 ayes and 0 nos. The chair announced, "The ayes do have it. House bill 13 58 moves to full finance." The committee provided no vote-by-name in the transcript.

The bill requires appointments by July 1, 2025, and directs the two chamber speakers to name an eight-member committee to plan the facility. The sponsor referenced Jackson as a possible site under consideration but did not offer legislative language tying the committee to a specific property.

HB 1358 now goes to the full finance committee for further consideration; the subcommittee record shows adopted amendments and the committee vote to advance the bill.