AB979: Bill Text

LRB-5216/1

MJW:cdc&skw

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 979

January 19, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives O'Connor, Emerson, Maxey, Plumer, Gundrum, Conley, Mursau, Callahan, Joers, Dittrich, C. Anderson, Sinicki, Considine, Stubbs, Baldeh, Palmeri, Subeck, Edming, Bare, Behnke, Billings, Melotik, Schraa, Hurd, Shankland and Ohnstad, cosponsored by Senators Taylor, Wirch, Carpenter and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

AB979,1,3 An Act to create 20.455 (5) (dm) and 165.925 of the statutes; relating to: a human trafficking victim services grant program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill establishes a grant program, administered by the Department of Justice, that provides grants to nonprofit organizations to provide support services to trafficking victims. The bill defines “support services” to mean any combination of direct victim advocacy, safety planning, housing, substance use disorder treatment, medical and behavioral health, job training, and employment support services. Under the bill, to be eligible for a grant, a nonprofit organization must submit an application that that describes the organization's efforts to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies and includes a proposed plan for expenditure of the grant moneys, and the nonprofit organization must provide private matching funds that are equal to at least 50 percent of the grant amount. The bill provides $2,500,000 biennially for such grants.

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:

AB979,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB979,2 Section 2 . 20.455 (5) (dm) of the statutes is created to read:

AB979,2,6 20.455 (5) (dm) Trafficking victim services grant program. Biennially, the amounts in the schedule to provide grants to nonprofit organizations under s. 165.925.

AB979,3 Section 3 . 165.925 of the statutes is created to read:

AB979,2,8 165.925 Trafficking victim services grant program. (1) In this section:

AB979,2,11 (a) “Nonprofit organization" means an organization described in section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

AB979,2,14 (b) “Support services” means any combination of direct victim advocacy, safety planning, housing, substance use disorder treatment, medical and behavioral health, job training, and employment support services.

AB979,2,17 (c) “Trafficking victim” means a person who was a victim of trafficking for the purposes of a commercial sex act, as defined in s. 940.302 (1) (a), under s. 940.302 or 948.051 or under 22 USC 7101 to 7112.

AB979,3,2 (2) From the appropriation under s. 20.455 (5) (dm), the department of justice shall award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide support services to trafficking victims. To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a nonprofit organization shall do all of the following:

AB979,3,5 (a) Submit an application for a grant to the department of justice that describes the organization's efforts to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies and includes a proposed plan for expenditure of the grant moneys.

AB979,3,7 (b) Provide matching funds that are equal to at least 50 percent of the grant amount awarded under this subsection and that come from private funding sources.

AB979,3,9 (3) The department of justice may award grants under sub. (2) in the following amounts:

AB979,3,11 (a) To a nonprofit organization that provides among its services housing services, up to $125,000 per fiscal biennium.

AB979,3,13 (b) To a nonprofit organization that provides only support services other than housing services, up to $50,000 per fiscal biennium.

AB979,3,18 (4) (a) In awarding grants under sub. (2), the department of justice shall give preference to grant applicants that have a well-established relationship with local law enforcement agencies and to grant applicants that are capable of providing licensed services with licensed in-house staff or under a contract with a 3rd-party provider that oversees provision of licensed services.

AB979,3,21 (b) In awarding grants under sub. (2) to nonprofit organizations that provide housing services, the department of justice shall give preference to grant applicants that have the ability to provide services to the greatest number of trafficking victims.

AB979,3,24 (5) The department of justice shall promulgate rules for the administration of this section and the distribution of grants under this section, including developing additional criteria on which grant awards may be based.

AB979,3,25 (End)