By: Hochberg H.B. No. 1645

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to funding for multi-disciplinary approaches to combat gang violence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 772, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 772.007 to read as follows:

Sec. 772.007. TEXAS ANTI-GANG GRANT PROGRAM

(a) The governor's criminal justice division shall administer a competitive grant program to support regional, multi-disciplinary approaches to combat gang violence through coordinated programs for prevention, intervention and suppression. The criminal justice division shall award grants to political subdivisions or councils of governments that apply for the grant and that:

(1) demonstrate high levels of gang activity and gang violence in a region;

(2) demonstrate a comprehensive approach to reducing gang violence that balances prevention, intervention, and suppression based activities, including:

(A) intervention programs which include crisis intervention, treatment for youths and their families, social service referrals, and community-based or in-school and after-school prevention and education programs;

(B) provision of opportunities which include education, training, job related services, and community improvement projects, such as graffiti removal, as well as developing alternative activities for gang members and youth at risk for gang membership;

(C) suppression programs which target gang involved individuals through criminal justice interventions;

(D) community mobilization, which includes involvement of community members, community groups, and community-based organizations in the provision of services; and

(E) organizational change and development which means development and implementation of policies and procedures that facilitate coordination of programs and staff functions within and across agencies that will result in the most effective use of available and potential resources;

(3) demonstrate a commitment to the use of a data-driven and evidence-based approach to programming;

(4) clearly outline a comprehensive plan, with written commitments, for the political subdivision to work with school districts, law enforcement, community-based organizations, and government agencies to address gang activity;

(5) create a steering committee representing the organizations involved in the collaborative and submit standard operating procedures to the criminal justice division for approval no later than 3 months after commencement of the grant;

(6) designate a single point of contact for the local program partners, the statewide gang violence research partner, and the criminal justice division;

(7) agree to submit programmatic and financial progress reports to the criminal justice division on a quarterly basis;

(8) agree to participate in statewide gang surveys or other data collection activities to further the understanding of the gang problem in the state;

(9) except as provided by Subsection (e), make a written commitment to match grant funds with a 25 percent match; and

(10) identify a local governmental unit to serve as fiscal agent.

(b) The criminal justice division shall contract with a statewide gang violence research partner to provide strategic, analytic, and research support to individual grantees and to the criminal justice division. The research partner shall:

(1) develop technical assistance guides that can be used by all grantees;

(2) assist grantees with strategic planning;

(3) assist grantees in assessing the nature and extent of local gang problems;

(4) identify outcome indicators to be tracked throughout the course of a grant;

(5) assist grantees with regular and frequent assessment of the strategies being implemented based on the analysis of data; and

(6) assist the criminal justice division with evaluation of the grant program.

(c) Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the criminal justice division and statewide gang violence research partner shall prepare and deliver a report describing the results and performance of the grant program to the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house, and the standing committees of each house of the legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and criminal justice issues. This report shall also include the distribution of programs and resources among prevention, intervention, and suppression programs. The criminal justice division may include this report in the biennial report required by Section 772.006 (a)(9).

(d) The criminal justice division may use any revenue available for purposes of this section including legislative appropriations, the criminal justice planning fund, federal funds, gifts, and grants.

(e) The criminal justice division may waive the match requirement for grantees with demonstrated need.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.