Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB893 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0893
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 893
8	8	E4 2lr2141
9	9	CF HB 1013
10	10	By: Senator Smith
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Public Safety – Safer Communities Fund and Task Force – Establishment 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing the Safer Communities Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund 3
21	21	to provide grant assistance to local governments for investments in noncarceral 4
22	22	safety; establishing the Safer Communities Task Force to promote noncarceral 5
23	23	strategies for safety; and generally relating to the Safer Communities Fund and the 6
24	24	Safer Communities Task Force. 7
25	25
26	26	BY adding to 8
27	27	Article – Public Safety 9
28	28	Section 4–1601 through 4–1604 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 16. Safer 10
29	29	Communities Fund” 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Public Safety 16
37	37
38	38	SUBTITLE 16. SAFER COMMUNITIES FUND. 17
39	39
40	40	4–1601. 18
41	41
42	42	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 19
43	43	INDICATED. 20
44	44
45	45	(B) “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR” MEANS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 21
46	46	GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF CRIME PREVENTION, YOUTH, AND VICTIM SERVICES. 22
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 893
48	48
49	49
50	50	(C) “FUND” MEANS THE SAFER COMMUNITIES FUND. 1
51	51
52	52	4–1602. 2
53	53
54	54	(A) THERE IS A SAFER COMMUNITIES FUND. 3
55	55
56	56	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE FUND IS TO PROVIDE GR ANT ASSISTANCE TO 4
57	57	LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO PROMOTE ROBUST AND H OLISTIC INVESTMENTS IN 5
58	58	NONCARCERAL SAFETY . 6
59	59
60	60	(C) THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHALL ADMINI STER THE FUND. 7
61	61
62	62	(D) (1) THE FUND IS A SPECIAL , NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS NOT 8
63	63	SUBJECT TO REVERSION UNDER § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND 9
64	64	PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 10
65	65
66	66	(2) THE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE FUND SEPARATELY , AND THE 11
67	67	COMPTROLLER SHALL ACC OUNT FOR THE FUND. 12
68	68
69	69	(E) THE FUND CONSISTS OF : 13
70	70
71	71	(1) MONEY APPROPRIATED I N THE STATE BUDGET TO THE FUND; AND 14
72	72
73	73	(2) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACC EPTED FOR 15
74	74	THE BENEFIT OF THE FUND. 16
75	75
76	76	(F) THE FUND MAY BE USED TO S UPPORT: 17
77	77
78	78	(1) MENTAL HEALTH RESPON SE CRISIS TEAMS; 18
79	79
80	80	(2) SAFETY INFRASTRUCTUR E, INCLUDING LIGHTING ; 19
81	81
82	82	(3) PILOT PROGRAMS THAT SHIFT THE RESPONSE TO LOW –LEVEL 20
83	83	CRIMES OR NONCRIMINA L INCIDENCES FROM PO LICE; AND 21
84	84
85	85	(4) OTHER PROGRAMS AIMED AT PREVENTING A POLI CE RESPONSE 22
86	86	TO LOW–LEVEL CRIMES AND NON CRIMINAL INCIDENCES . 23
87	87
88	88	(G) THE FUND MAY NOT BE USED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF A POLICE 24
89	89	FORCE OR INCREASE TH E USE OF POLICE OR S URVEILLANCE OF COMMU NITIES. 25
90	90
91	91	4–1603. 26
92	92	SENATE BILL 893 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(A) EACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT APPLIES FOR A G RANT FROM THE 1
96	96	FUND SHALL APPOINT A SAFER COMMUNITIES ADVISORY BOARD. 2
97	97
98	98	(B) THE ADVISORY BOARD SH ALL INCLUDE INDIVIDU ALS WHO ARE 3
99	99	DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY CRIMINAL AND LEGAL H ARM AND REPRESENT TH E 4
100	100	DIVERSITY OF THE LOC AL JURISDICTION . 5
101	101
102	102	(C) THE ADVISORY BOARD SH ALL ENGAGE THE PUBLI C, HOLD PUBLIC 6
103	103	HEARINGS, AND MAKE RECOMMENDAT IONS TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT R ELATING 7
104	104	TO THE FUNDING OF CO MMUNITY SAFETY PROJE CTS. 8
105	105
106	106	(D) BEFORE A LOCAL GOVERN MENT USES ANY GRANT FUNDS, THE 9
107	107	ADVISORY BOARD SHALL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARIN G TO RECEIVE INPUT F ROM THE 10
108	108	COMMUNITY ON SPECIFI C USES FOR THE GRANT FUNDS. 11
109	109
110	110	4–1604. 12
111	111
112	112	ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31 EACH YEAR, EACH LOCAL GOVERNMEN T THAT 13
113	113	RECEIVES GRANT FUNDS FROM THE FUND SHALL, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 14
114	114	SAFER COMMUNITIES ADVISORY BOARD OF THE LOCAL GO VERNMENT, SUBMIT TO 15
115	115	THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF CRIME PREVENTION, YOUTH, AND VICTIM SERVICES 16
116	116	A REPORT ON: 17
117	117
118	118	(1) HOW FUNDS ARE USED ; 18
119	119
120	120	(2) GOALS RELATED TO THE FUND; AND 19
121	121
122	122	(3) OTHER METRICS DETERM INED AS RELEVANT TO THE FUND. 20
123	123
124	124	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 21
125	125
126	126	(a) There is a Safer Communities Task Force. 22
127	127
128	128	(b) The Task Force consists of members selected by the Executive Director of the 23
129	129	Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, or the Executive 24
130	130	Director’s designee. 25
131	131
132	132	(c) The Task Force shall elect the chair of the Task Force from among its members 26
133	133	by a majority vote at the first meeting. 27
134	134
135	135	(d) The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services shall 28
136	136	provide staff for the Task Force. 29
137	137
138	138	(e) A member of the Task Force: 30
139	139	4 SENATE BILL 893
140	140
141	141
142	142	(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Task Force; but 1
143	143
144	144	(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 2
145	145	Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. 3
146	146
147	147	(f) The Task Force shall: 4
148	148
149	149	(1) study holistic, non–carceral approaches to community safety statewide, 5
150	150	including across the State government and State agencies; 6
151	151
152	152	(2) research non–carceral strategies to increase safety; and 7
153	153
154	154	(3) make recommendations relating to non –carceral approaches to 8
155	155	community safety, including recommendations to assist relevant local programs. 9
156	156
157	157	(g) On or before December 31, 2022, the Task Force shall report its findings and 10
158	158	recommendations to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 11
159	159	Government Article. 12
160	160
161	161	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 13
162	162	1, 2022. Section 2 of this Act shall remain effective for a period of 1 year and 1 month and, 14
163	163	at the end of July 31, 2023, Section 2 of this Act, with no further action required by the 15
164	164	General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 16
165	165