| 1 | 1 | | By: Gerdes, Bailes, Kitzman, Holland, Murr, H.B. No. 1487 |
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| 2 | 2 | | et al. |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of a rural county law enforcement grant |
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| 8 | 8 | | program. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 403, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subchapter T to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SUBCHAPTER T. RURAL COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 403.571. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "rural |
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| 14 | 14 | | county law enforcement agency" means any of the following if |
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| 15 | 15 | | located in a county with a population of 275,000 or less: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) a sheriff's office; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) a constable's office; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (3) a district attorney's office; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (4) a criminal district attorney's office; or |
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| 20 | 20 | | (5) a county attorney's office with criminal |
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| 21 | 21 | | prosecution duties. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 403.572. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. The |
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| 23 | 23 | | comptroller shall establish and administer a grant program through |
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| 24 | 24 | | which a rural county law enforcement agency may apply for a grant |
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| 25 | 25 | | that may be used to pay for: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) the salaries of sheriffs, sheriff's deputies, |
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| 27 | 27 | | jailers, or office support staff, including the hiring of |
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| 28 | 28 | | additional deputies, jailers, and office support staff; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) the salaries of constables and deputy constables, |
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| 30 | 30 | | including the hiring of additional deputies; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) the salaries of assistant prosecuting attorneys, |
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| 32 | 32 | | investigators, victim assistance coordinators, or office support |
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| 33 | 33 | | staff, including the hiring of additional attorneys, |
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| 34 | 34 | | investigators, coordinators, and office support staff; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) any costs for the recruitment of staff; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) the purchase, lease, or maintenance of equipment, |
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| 37 | 37 | | vehicles, office technology services and hardware, and office |
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| 38 | 38 | | infrastructure and related facilities; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (6) any costs for personnel training and related |
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| 40 | 40 | | office expenses, including training to obtain or maintain an |
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| 41 | 41 | | accreditation related to the position of the person undergoing the |
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| 42 | 42 | | training. |
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| 43 | 43 | | Sec. 403.573. AMOUNT OF GRANTS. (a) The comptroller shall |
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| 44 | 44 | | award a grant to a rural county law enforcement agency that applies |
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| 45 | 45 | | for the grant using money appropriated to the comptroller for that |
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| 46 | 46 | | purpose. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) A rural county law enforcement agency that is a |
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| 48 | 48 | | sheriff's office or constable's office may be awarded a grant of not |
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| 49 | 49 | | more than: |
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| 50 | 50 | | (1) $250,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 51 | 51 | | with a population of less than 10,000; |
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| 52 | 52 | | (2) $350,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 53 | 53 | | with a population of 10,000 or more but less than 50,000; or |
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| 54 | 54 | | (3) $500,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 55 | 55 | | with a population of 50,000 or more but not more than 275,000. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (c) A rural county law enforcement agency that is a district |
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| 57 | 57 | | attorney's office, a criminal district attorney's office, or a |
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| 58 | 58 | | county attorney's office with criminal prosecution duties may be |
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| 59 | 59 | | awarded a grant of not more than: |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) $100,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 61 | 61 | | with a population of less than 10,000; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) $175,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 63 | 63 | | with a population of 10,000 or more but less than 50,000; or |
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| 64 | 64 | | (3) $275,000, if the applicant is located in a county |
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| 65 | 65 | | with a population of 50,000 or more but not more than 275,000. |
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| 66 | 66 | | (d) For purposes of Subsection (c), a multi-county district |
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| 67 | 67 | | attorney's office is considered to be located in the county in the |
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| 68 | 68 | | district with the largest population. |
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| 69 | 69 | | Sec. 403.574. LIMITATION ON GRANT APPLICATIONS. A rural |
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| 70 | 70 | | county law enforcement agency may apply for a grant under this |
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| 71 | 71 | | subchapter not more than once each fiscal year of the county in |
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| 72 | 72 | | which the agency is located. |
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| 73 | 73 | | Sec. 403.575. APPROVAL OF COMMISSIONERS COURT REQUIRED. |
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| 74 | 74 | | Before a rural law enforcement agency uses money received from a |
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| 75 | 75 | | grant awarded under this subchapter for a purpose described by |
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| 76 | 76 | | Section 403.572, the agency must obtain written approval to use the |
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| 77 | 77 | | money for that purpose from the commissioners court of the county in |
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| 78 | 78 | | which the agency is located. The commissioners court of a county |
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| 79 | 79 | | may not reduce the amount of money provided to a rural county law |
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| 80 | 80 | | enforcement agency because of grant funds provided under this |
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| 81 | 81 | | subchapter to the rural county law enforcement agency. |
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| 82 | 82 | | Sec. 403.576. DUTY TO RETURN UNSPENT GRANT MONEY. A rural |
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| 83 | 83 | | county law enforcement agency that is awarded a grant under this |
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| 84 | 84 | | subchapter shall return any unspent money awarded under that grant |
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| 85 | 85 | | to the comptroller not later than the second anniversary of the date |
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| 86 | 86 | | on which the money was disbursed to the agency. |
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| 87 | 87 | | Sec. 403.577. REPORT. Not later than December 1 of each |
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| 88 | 88 | | even-numbered year, the comptroller shall submit to the legislature |
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| 89 | 89 | | a report on the results and performance of the grant program |
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| 90 | 90 | | established under this subchapter. |
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| 91 | 91 | | Sec. 403.578. RULES. The comptroller shall adopt rules to |
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| 92 | 92 | | administer this subchapter, including rules that establish: |
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| 93 | 93 | | (1) eligibility criteria for grant applicants; |
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| 94 | 94 | | (2) grant application procedures; |
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| 95 | 95 | | (3) guidelines relating to grant amounts; |
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| 96 | 96 | | (4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; and |
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| 97 | 97 | | (5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant |
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| 98 | 98 | | awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any |
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| 99 | 99 | | conditions of a grant. |
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| 100 | 100 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2024. |
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