LRB-0176/1
JPC:kms&wlj
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
January 12, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives Stubbs, O'Connor, Cabrera,
Neubauer, Snodgrass, Subeck, Emerson, Shankland, Conley, Sinicki, Hong,
Ratcliff, Moore Omokunde, C. Anderson, Madison, Bare, Joers, Vining,
Andraca, Palmeri, Ohnstad, Considine, Jacobson, Goyke, Ortiz-Velez and
Drake, cosponsored by Senators Taylor,
Larson, Carpenter, Wirch, L.
Johnson, Spreitzer and Agard. Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice
and Public Safety.
AB931,1,4
1An Act to amend 15.01 (6) and 15.02 (3) (c) 1.; and
to create 15.194 (2) and
2250.25 of the statutes;
relating to: community violence intervention and
3creation of the Office of Violence Prevention in the Department of Health
4Services.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates the Office of Violence Prevention in the Department of Health
Services, establishes certain duties with respect to the office, and directs the office
to award grants for community violence intervention. The bill provides that the
office shall coordinate and expand violence prevention activities and work to reduce
the incidences of interpersonal violence and reduce death by homicide. To achieve
these goals, the office must do all of the following:
1. Establish a violence prevention focus within DHS and any local unit of
government that receives funding from DHS.
2. Collaborate with other state agencies that are interested or active in the
reduction of interpersonal violence.
3. Integrate violence prevention education into existing and planned
state-funded substance use and abuse prevention programs.
4. Support the development and implementation of comprehensive,
community-based violence prevention initiatives within cities and towns across the
state.
5. Develop sources of funding beyond state revenues to maintain the office and
expand its activities.
6. Create a directory of existing violence prevention services and activities in
each county.
7. Develop and recommend additional wraparound and support services that
include both interpersonal violence and suicide prevention programs and are funded
by local governing bodies.
8. Support local organizations that provide violence prevention services in
seeking out and applying for grant funding in support of their initiatives.
9. With the support of DHS, develop and implement a public health strategy
for preventing violence.
10. Conduct a statewide public health campaign on the effect of violence,
strategies for violence cessation, and the use of alternative dispute resolution
techniques.
The bill directs the office to establish and implement a program to award grants
to support effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are
disproportionately affected by violence. Grants are to be awarded competitively to
counties and cities that are disproportionately affected by violence, and to
community-based organizations that serve the residents of those counties or cities.
Where appropriate, the bill allows two or more counties or cities to submit joint
applications to provide more comprehensive solutions. Grantees must submit to the
office at regular intervals reports that describe the grantee's progress in achieving
the grant objectives.
For further information see the state and local 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:
AB931,1
1Section 1
. 15.01 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB931,3,42
15.01
(6) “Division," “bureau," “section," and “unit" means the subunits of a
3department or an independent agency, whether specifically created by law or created
4by the head of the department or the independent agency for the more economic and
5efficient administration and operation of the programs assigned to the department
6or independent agency. The office of credit unions in the department of financial
7institutions, the office of the inspector general in the department of children and
8families, the office of the inspector general in the department of health services,
the
9office of violence prevention in the department of health services, and the office of
10children's mental health in the department of health services have the meaning of
1“division" under this subsection. The office of the long-term care ombudsman under
2the board on aging and long-term care and the office of educational accountability
3in the department of public instruction have the meaning of “bureau" under this
4subsection.
AB931,2
5Section 2
. 15.02 (3) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB931,3,146
15.02
(3) (c) 1. The principal subunit of the department is the “division". Each
7division shall be headed by an “administrator". The office of credit unions in the
8department of financial institutions
, the office of violence prevention in the
9department of health services, and the office of children's mental health in the
10department of health services have the meaning of “division" and the director of
11credit unions in the department of financial institutions
, the director of the office of
12violence prevention in the department of health services, and the director of the office
13of children's mental health in the department of health services have the meaning
14of “administrator" under this subdivision.
AB931,3
15Section 3
. 15.194 (2) of the statutes is created to read:
AB931,3,1816
15.194
(2) Office of violence prevention. There is created an office of violence
17prevention in the department of health services. The director of the office shall be
18appointed by the governor to serve at the pleasure of the governor.
AB931,4
19Section 4
. 250.25 of the statutes is created to read:
AB931,3,21
20250.25 Office of violence prevention. (1) Purpose. The office of violence
21prevention shall coordinate and expand violence prevention activities.
AB931,3,22
22(2) Duties. The office of violence prevention shall do all of the following:
AB931,3,2423
(a) Establish a violence prevention focus within the department and any local
24unit of government that receives funding from the department.
AB931,4,5
1(b) Collaborate with other state agencies that are interested or active in the
2reduction of interpersonal violence, including child abuse, elder abuse, violence
3against youth, domestic violence, gun violence, intimate partner violence, sexual
4assault, and violence against persons based on perceived or actual sexual
5orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
AB931,4,76
(c) Integrate violence prevention education into existing and planned
7state-funded substance use and abuse prevention programs.
AB931,4,138
(d) Support the development and implementation of comprehensive
9community-based violence prevention initiatives within cities and towns across the
10state, including the prevention of child abuse, elder abuse, violence against youth,
11domestic violence, gun violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and
12violence against persons based on perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender
13identity, or gender expression.
AB931,4,1514
(e) Develop sources of funding beyond state revenues to maintain the office and
15expand its activities.
AB931,4,1716
(f) Create a directory of existing violence prevention services and activities in
17each county.
AB931,4,2018
(g) Develop and recommend additional wraparound and support services that
19include both interpersonal violence and suicide prevention programs and are funded
20by local governing bodies.
AB931,4,2421
(h) Support local organizations that provide violence prevention services in
22seeking out and applying for grant funding in support of their initiatives and provide
23technical assistance and support to the organizations to maximize the organizations'
24likelihood of success with their applications.
AB931,5,3
1(i) With the support of the division of the department responsible for public
2health, develop and implement a public health strategy that provides for all of the
3following:
AB931,5,54
1. The use of culturally competent and community-wide risk-assessment
5tools.
AB931,5,66
2. The identification of heavy utilizers of public services.
AB931,5,77
3. The provision of cognitive and family-based therapy.
AB931,5,88
4. The coordination of available services to combat the spread of violence.
AB931,5,99
5. Technical assistance from culturally competent organizations or individuals.
AB931,5,1210
(j) Conduct a statewide public health campaign concerning the effect of
11violence, strategies for violence cessation, and the use of alternative dispute
12resolution techniques.
AB931,5,17
13(3) Grants. (a) The office of violence prevention shall develop and implement
14a program to award grants to support effective violence reduction initiatives in
15communities that are disproportionately affected by violence, including gun
16violence, group violence, suicides, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and
17gender-based violence.
AB931,5,2518
(b) The grants under this subsection shall be used to support, expand, and
19replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, including hospital-based
20violence intervention programs, evidence-based street outreach programs, and
21focused deterrence strategies, that seek to interrupt the cycles of violence,
22victimization, and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of firearm violence.
23These initiatives must be primarily focused on providing violence intervention
24services and support to the small segment of the population that is identified as
25having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by firearm violence.
AB931,6,5
1(c) Grants under this subsection shall be awarded on a competitive basis to
2counties and cities that are disproportionately affected by violence and to
3community-based organizations that serve the residents of those counties or cities.
4Where appropriate, 2 or more counties or cities may submit joint applications to
5provide more comprehensive solutions.
AB931,6,76
(d) An applicant for a grant under this subsection shall submit to the office on
7a form provided by the office a proposal that includes all of the following:
