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.