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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 542
October 18, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives CALLAHAN, SPIROS, ALLEN,
ARMSTRONG, BRANDTJEN, DITTRICH, DONOVAN, EDMING, GOEBEN, GREEN,
MICHALSKI, MURSAU, NEDWESKI, O'CONNOR, ORTIZ-VELEZ, RETTINGER,
RODRIGUEZ, SCHMIDT, STEFFEN and SUMMERFIELD, cosponsored by Senators
WANGGAARD, JAMES, CABRAL-GUEVARA, FEYEN, L. JOHNSON and QUINN. Referred
to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to repeal 165.88 (3m) (d); to amend 165.88 (4); and to create 165.88 (3p)
of the statutes; relating to: grants to schools to acquire proactive firearm
detection software and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Department of Justice awards grants to schools to
improve school safety. Currently DOJ awards grants to fund eligible expenditures
such as training, safety-related upgrades to buildings, equipment, and facilities,
and expenditures to provide blueprints or mapping data to law enforcement.
This bill requires DOJ to award grants of up to $325,000 to schools to acquire
proactive firearm detection software and provides $4,000,000 in the 2023-25 fiscal
biennium for the grants. Under the bill, schools must apply for the grants jointly
with the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the school. If the funding is
insufficient to award grants to all eligible applicants, the bill requires DOJ to award
the grants to qualified applicants in the order that the applications were received.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 165.88 (3m) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
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SECTION 2 ASSEMBLY BILL 542
SECTION 2. 165.88 (3p) of the statutes is created to read:
165.88 (3p) GRANTS TO SCHOOLS FOR FIREARM DETECTION SOFTWARE. (a) From the
appropriation under s. 20.455 (2) (f), the department of justice shall award grants to
school boards and governing bodies of private schools to acquire proactive firearm
detection software.
(b) The department shall accept applications for the grants under this
subsection from school district administrators, or governing bodies of private
schools, that are working jointly with local law enforcement agencies with
jurisdiction over the school.
(c) Grant moneys awarded under this subsection shall be used to acquire
proactive firearm detection software that complies with all of the following:
1. The software is developed in the United States.
2. The software is designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology under 6
USC 441 et seq.
3. The software is designed to integrate with existing school security cameras
or other school security alert systems.
4. The artificial intelligence software is written and programmable to follow
authorized protocol autonomously, or the software is managed directly by the
contracted vendor though a constantly monitored operations center that is staffed
by highly trained analysts, to rapidly communicate possible seen or unseen threats
to end users.
5. The software has been successfully deployed in another school district or to
a commercial user.
(d) A grant awarded under par. (a) may not exceed $325,000.
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SECTION 2
ASSEMBLY BILL 542
(e) If the moneys allocated for the grants under this subsection in a fiscal
biennium are insufficient to pay all qualified applicants under par. (b), the
department shall award grants to the qualified applicants in order of application
until the allocated funds are depleted.
SECTION 3. 165.88 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
165.88 (4) REPORT. The department of justice shall submit an annual report to
the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance providing an account of the
grants awarded under sub. subs. (2), (3m), and (3p) and the expenditures made with
the grant moneys.
SECTION 4.0Fiscal changes.
(1) GRANT FUNDING. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation
to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (f), the dollar amount for the 2023-24
fiscal year is increased by $4,000,000 to implement the grant program under s.
165.88 (3p).
(END)
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