Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB198 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	hb0198
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 198
8	8	E2 5lr1658
9	9	HB 942/24 – JUD & APP (PRE–FILED)
10	10	By: Delegate Young
11	11	Requested: November 1, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Judiciary and Appropriations
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Criminal Procedure – Crime Solvers Reward Fund – Establishment 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Crime Solvers Reward Fund as a special, nonlapsing 3
22	22	fund in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide grants 4
23	23	to law enforcement agencies and county reward programs to be used as rewards 5
24	24	offered to individuals for certain assistance in solving certain crimes; requiring 6
25	25	interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the Fund; and generally relating to 7
26	26	the Crime Solvers Reward Fund. 8
27	27
28	28	BY adding to 9
29	29	Article – Criminal Procedure 10
30	30	Section 11–1201 through 11–1203 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 12. Crime 11
31	31	Solvers Reward Fund” 12
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
33	33	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
36	36	Article – State Finance and Procurement 16
37	37	Section 6–226(a)(2)(i) 17
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
39	39	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
40	40
41	41	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
42	42	Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
43	43	Section 6–226(a)(2)(ii)204. and 205. 22
44	44	Annotated Code of Maryland 23
45	45	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24
46	46
47	47	BY adding to 25
48	48	Article – State Finance and Procurement 26 2 HOUSE BILL 198
49	49
50	50
51	51	Section 6–226(a)(2)(ii)206. 1
52	52	Annotated Code of Maryland 2
53	53	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 3
54	54
55	55	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
56	56	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
57	57
58	58	Article – Criminal Procedure 6
59	59
60	60	SUBTITLE 12. CRIME SOLVERS REWARD FUND. 7
61	61
62	62	11–1201. 8
63	63
64	64	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 9
65	65	INDICATED. 10
66	66
67	67	(B) “COUNTY REWARD PROGRAM ” MEANS A PROGRAM ADMI NISTERED BY A 11
68	68	COUNTY THAT OFFERS R EWARD MONEY TO AN IN DIVIDUAL WHO PROVIDE S 12
69	69	QUALIFYING INFORMATI ON RELEVANT TO THE INVE STIGATION OF A MURDE R OR AN 13
70	70	ATTEMPTED MURDER INV OLVING A FIREARM . 14
71	71
72	72	(C) “FUND” MEANS THE CRIME SOLVERS REWARD FUND. 15
73	73
74	74	(D) “LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENC Y” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 3–201 16
75	75	OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARTICLE. 17
76	76
77	77	(E) “QUALIFYING INFORMA TION” MEANS INFORMATION PR OVIDED TO A 18
78	78	LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY THAT DIRECTLY LEA DS TO THE IDENTIFICA TION, 19
79	79	ARREST, AND CONVICTION OF TH E PERPETRATOR OF A C RIME. 20
80	80
81	81	11–1202. 21
82	82
83	83	(A) THERE IS A CRIME SOLVERS REWARD FUND IN THE DEPARTMENT . 22
84	84
85	85	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE FUND IS TO PROVIDE GR ANTS TO LAW 23
86	86	ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OR COUNTY REWARD PRO GRAMS TO ISSUE REWAR DS TO 24
87	87	INDIVIDUALS WHO PROV IDE QUALIFYING INFOR MATION TO A LAW ENFO RCEMENT 25
88	88	AGENCY RELEVANT TO T HE INVESTIGATION OF A MURDER OR AN ATTEM PTED 26
89	89	MURDER INVOLVING A F IREARM. 27
90	90
91	91	(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMI NISTER THE FUND. 28
92	92
93	93	(D) (1) THE FUND IS A SPECIAL , NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS NOT 29
94	94	SUBJECT TO § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 30 HOUSE BILL 198 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(2) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE FUND SEPARATELY , 1
99	99	AND THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ACCOUNT FOR TH E FUND. 2
100	100
101	101	(E) THE FUND CONSISTS OF : 3
102	102
103	103	(1) MONEY APPROPRIATED I N THE STATE BUDGET TO THE FUND; 4
104	104
105	105	(2) MONEY MADE AVAILABLE TO THE FUND THROUGH FEDERAL 5
106	106	PROGRAMS OR PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS ; 6
107	107
108	108	(3) INTEREST EARNINGS OF THE FUND; AND 7
109	109
110	110	(4) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACC EPTED FOR 8
111	111	THE BENEFIT OF THE FUND. 9
112	112
113	113	(F) (1) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL INVES T THE MONEY OF THE FUND 10
114	114	IN THE SAME MANNER A S OTHER STATE MONEY MAY BE IN VESTED. 11
115	115
116	116	(2) ANY INTEREST EARNINGS OF THE FUND SHALL BE CREDITE D TO 12
117	117	THE FUND. 13
118	118
119	119	(G) (1) THE FUND MAY BE USED ONLY TO AWARD GRANTS TO A LAW 14
120	120	ENFORCEMENT AGENCY O R A COUNTY REWARD PR OGRAM IN ORDER FOR T HE LAW 15
121	121	ENFORCEMENT AGENCY O R THE COUNTY REWARD PROGRAM TO PROVIDE R EWARD 16
122	122	MONEY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO PROVIDE A LAW EN FORCEME NT AGENCY WITH 17
123	123	QUALIFYING INFORMATI ON RELEVANT TO THE I NVESTIGATION OF A MU RDER OR AN 18
124	124	ATTEMPTED MURDER INV OLVING A FIREARM . 19
125	125
126	126	(2) FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A RE WARD FROM A LAW 20
127	127	ENFORCEMENT AGENCY O R A COUNTY REWARD PR OGRAM UNDER THIS SUB TITLE, 21
128	128	THE LAW ENFORCEMENT A GENCY OR COUNTY REWA RD PROGRAM SHALL EST ABLISH 22
129	129	THAT THE INDIVIDUAL : 23
130	130
131	131	(I) PROVIDED CREDIBLE QU ALIFYING INFORMATION ; 24
132	132
133	133	(II) DID NOT DIRECTLY PAR TICIPATE IN THE CRIM E; AND 25
134	134
135	135	(III) COOPERATED WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY. 26
136	136
137	137	(H) ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2026, AND EACH YEAR THEREA FTER, THE 27
138	138	DEPARTMENT SHALL REPO RT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH 28
139	139	§ 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, ON: 29 4 HOUSE BILL 198
140	140
141	141
142	142
143	143	(1) THE NUMBER OF REWARD S ISSUED BY LAW ENFO RCEMENT 1
144	144	AGENCIES AND COUNTY REWARD PROGRAMS IN ACCORDAN CE WITH THIS SUBTITL E; 2
145	145	AND 3
146	146
147	147	(2) THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY PROVIDED UNDER THIS SUBTITLE. 4
148	148
149	149	11–1203. 5
150	150
151	151	(A) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO CAR RY OUT THIS 6
152	152	SUBTITLE. 7
153	153
154	154	(B) THE REGULATIONS SHALL INCLUDE: 8
155	155
156	156	(1) CRITERIA EXPLAINING HOW ELIGIBLE LAW ENF ORCEMENT 9
157	157	AGENCIES AND COUNTY REWARD PROGRAMS MAY APPLY FOR FUNDING FR OM THE 10
158	158	FUND; AND 11
159	159
160	160	(2) CRITERIA FOR THE DIS TRIBUTION OF AVAILAB LE FUNDS IN 12
161	161	ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SUBTITLE. 13
162	162
163	163	Article – State Finance and Procurement 14
164	164
165	165	6–226. 15
166	166
167	167	(a) (2) (i) 1. This subparagraph does not apply in fiscal years 2024 16
168	168	through 2028. 17
169	169
170	170	2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and unless 18
171	171	inconsistent with a federal law, grant agreement, or other federal requirement or with the 19
172	172	terms of a gift or settlement agreement, net interest on all State money allocated by the 20
173	173	State Treasurer under this section to special funds or accounts, and otherwise entitled to 21
174	174	receive interest earnings, as accounted for by the Comptroller, shall accrue to the General 22
175	175	Fund of the State. 23
176	176
177	177	(ii) The provisions of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph do not apply 24
178	178	to the following funds: 25
179	179
180	180	204. the Victims of Domestic Violence Program Grant Fund; 26
181	181	[and] 27
182	182
183	183	205. the Proposed Programs Collaborative Grant Fund; AND 28
184	184
185	185	206. THE CRIME SOLVERS REWARD FUND. 29
186	186	HOUSE BILL 198 5
187	187
188	188
189	189	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
190	190	October 1, 2025. 2
191	191