HB 3033 Summary

• Allows children charged with felony-level delinquent acts to request a preliminary hearing to determine prosecutive merit, in addition to state or court-initiated hearings under Section 2-2-403.

• Modifies jury trial rights in juvenile adjudicatory hearings by removing "in need of supervision" cases from automatic jury trial eligibility and limiting jury trials to delinquency cases only.

• Establishes 90-day timeline for commencing preliminary hearings in youthful offender cases (ages 15-17 charged with specified serious offenses), with state prohibited from seeking adult sentence if deadline missed unless defendant waives the requirement.

• Allows accused youthful offenders to file motions for certification to juvenile justice system before criminal preliminary hearing begins, with court required to rule on certification before determining if defendant binds over for trial.

• Takes effect November 1, 2016.