DOA:......Rice, BB0514 - Creation of Office of Violence Prevention
For 2025-2027 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
STATE GOVERNMENT
General state government
Office of Violence Prevention
This bill creates the Office of Violence Prevention in DOA, 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 must coordinate and expand violence prevention activities and work to reduce the incidences of interpersonal violence. To achieve these goals, the office must do all of the following:
1. Establish a violence prevention focus across state government.
2. Collaborate with other state agencies that are interested or active in the reduction of interpersonal violence.
3. Support the development and implementation of comprehensive, community-based violence prevention initiatives within local units of government across the state, including collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
4. Develop sources of funding beyond state revenues to maintain the office and expand its activities.
5. Create a directory of existing violence prevention services and activities in each county.
6. Support and provide technical assistance to local organizations that provide violence prevention services, including in seeking out and applying for grant funding in support of their initiatives.
7. Develop public education campaigns to promote safer communities.
The bill directs the office to establish and implement a program to award grants to support effective violence reduction initiatives in communities across the state. Up to $3,000,000 of the grants must be awarded to federally recognized American Indian tribes or bands in this state or organizations affiliated with tribes relating to missing and murdered indigenous women. The bill also requires that up to $500,000 be awarded for grants related to suicide prevention for the following activities: 1) to train staff at a firearm retailer or firearm range on how to recognize a person who may be considering suicide; 2) to provide suicide prevention materials for distribution at a firearm retailer or firearm range; and 3) to provide voluntary, temporary firearm storage.
Task force on Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls
This bill creates the Task Force on Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls. The task force must examine various factors that contribute to violence against African American women and girls and submit to the governor two annual reports by December 31, 2026, on actions that can be taken to eliminate violence against African American women and girls.
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. 15.01 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:
15.01 (6) “Division,” “bureau,” “section,” and “unit” means the subunits of a department or an independent agency, whether specifically created by law or created by the head of the department or the independent agency for the more economic and efficient administration and operation of the programs assigned to the department or independent agency. The office of credit unions in the department of financial institutions, the office of the inspector general in the department of children and families, the office of the inspector general in the department of health services, and the office of the public intervenor in the office of the commissioner of insurance, the office of children’s mental health in the department of health services, and the office of violence prevention in the department of administration have the meaning of “division” under this subsection. The office of the long-term care ombudsman under the board on aging and long-term care and the office of educational accountability and the office of literacy in the department of public instruction have the meaning of “bureau” under this subsection.
****Note: This is reconciled s. 15.01 (6). This Section has been affected by drafts with the following LRB numbers: -1661/P1 and -1907/P5.
Section 2. 15.02 (3) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
15.02 (3) (c) 1. The principal subunit of the department is the “division”. Each division shall be headed by an “administrator”. The office of credit unions in the department of financial institutions and, the office of children’s mental health in the department of health services, and the office of violence prevention in the department of administration have the meaning of “division” and the director of credit unions in the department of financial institutions and, the director of the office of children’s mental health in the department of health services, and the director of the office of violence prevention in the department of administration have the meaning of “administrator” under this subdivision.
Section 3. 15.105 (35) of the statutes is created to read:
15.105 (35) Office of violence prevention. There is created an office of violence prevention, attached to the department of administration under s. 15.03. The director of the office shall be appointed by the secretary of administration.
Section 4. 16.02 of the statutes is created to read:
16.02 Office of violence prevention. (1) Purpose. The office of violence prevention shall coordinate and expand violence prevention activities in this state.
(2) Duties. The office of violence prevention shall do all of the following:
(a) Establish a violence prevention focus across state government.
(b) Collaborate with other state agencies that are interested or active in the reduction of interpersonal violence, including child abuse, elder abuse, violence against youth, domestic violence, gun violence, intimate partner violence, suicide, sexual assault, and gender-based violence.
(c) Support the development and implementation of comprehensive, community-based violence prevention initiatives within local units of government across the state, including collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
(d) Develop sources of funding beyond state revenues to maintain the office and expand its activities.
(e) Create a directory of existing violence prevention services and activities in each county.
(f) Support and provide technical assistance to local organizations that provide violence prevention services, including in seeking out and applying for grant funding in support of their initiatives and provide technical assistance and support to the organizations to maximize the organizations’ likelihood of success with their applications.
(g) Develop public education campaigns to promote safer communities.
(3) Grants. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.505 (1) (bs), the office of violence prevention shall award grants to support effective violence reduction initiatives in communities across the state, including supporting efforts to reduce gun violence, group violence, suicides, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and gender-based violence.
(b) The grants under this subsection shall be used to support, expand, and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives, including hospital-based violence intervention programs, evidence-based street outreach programs, and focused deterrence strategies, that seek to interrupt the cycles of violence, victimization, and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of firearm violence.
(c) Of the grants the department awards under this section, the department shall award up to $3,000,000 in grants each fiscal year to federally recognized American Indian tribes or bands in this state and organizations affiliated with tribes relating to missing and murdered indigenous women.
(d) Of the grants the department awards under this section, the department shall award up to $500,000 in suicide prevention grants each fiscal year to organizations or coalitions of organizations, which may include a city, village, town, county, or federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state, for any of the following purposes:
1. To train staff at a firearm retailer or firearm range on how to recognize a person who may be considering suicide.
2. To provide suicide prevention materials for distribution at a firearm retailer or firearm range.
3. To provide voluntary, temporary firearm storage.
Section 5. 20.505 (1) (bp) of the statutes is created to read:
20.505 (1) (bp) Office of violence prevention; general program operations. The amounts in the schedule for the general program operations of the office of violence prevention.
****Note: This Section involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
Section 6. 20.505 (1) (bs) of the statutes is created to read:
20.505 (1) (bs) Office of violence prevention; violence reduction initiative grants. The amounts in the schedule for violence reduction initiative grants awarded under s. 16.02 (3).
****Note: This Section involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
Section 9101. Nonstatutory provisions; Administration.
(1) Task force on missing and murdered African American women and girls.
(a) Definition. In this subsection, “nongovernmental organization” means a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides legal, social, or other community services.
(b) Membership. There is created a task force on missing and murdered African American women and girls. The task force shall consist of the following members, who are knowledgeable in crime victims rights or violence protection, and who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the governor unless otherwise specified:
1. Two members of the senate, one appointed by the majority leader and one appointed by the minority leader.
2. Two members of the assembly, one appointed by the speaker of the assembly and one appointed by the minority leader.
3. Two representatives from among the following:
a. The Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association.
b. The Badger State Sheriffs’ Association.
c. The division of criminal investigation within the department of justice.
4. One or more representatives from among the following:
a. The Wisconsin District Attorneys Association.
b. A U.S. Attorney’s office in this state.
c. A judge or attorney working in juvenile court.
5. A county coroner or representative from a statewide coroner’s association or a representative of the department of health services.
6. Three or more representatives from among the following:
a. A statewide or local organization that provides legal services to African American women and girls.
b. A statewide or local organization that provides advocacy or counseling for African American women and girls who have been victims of violence.
c. A statewide or local organization that provides nonlegal services to African American women and girls.
d. The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
e. End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin.
f. An African American woman who is a survivor of gender violence.
(c) Operation.
1. The task force shall elect a chair and vice-chair from among the members of the task force and may elect other officers as necessary. The task force shall convene within 30 days after it is established and shall meet at least quarterly thereafter, or upon the call of its chair, and may hold meetings throughout the state. The task force shall meet sufficiently to accomplish the duties identified in par. (d).
2. The department of administration shall provide administrative support services to the task force. The task force may call upon any state agency or officer to assist the task force, and those agencies or officers shall cooperate with the task force to the fullest extent possible.
3. The department of administration shall reimburse members of the task force for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in carrying out their functions.
****Note: Do you want to specify an appropriation as in 2023 AB 615, which used s. 20.505 (1) (ka)?
(d) Duties.
1. The task force shall examine all of the following topics:
a. The systemic causes behind violence that African American women and girls experience, including patterns and underlying factors that explain why disproportionately high levels of violence occur against African American women and girls, including underlying historical, generational, social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors that may contribute to the violence.
b. Appropriate methods for tracking and collecting data on violence against African American women and girls, including data on missing and murdered African American women and girls.
c. Policies and institutions such as policing, child welfare, coroner practices, and other governmental practices that impact violence against African American women and girls and the investigation and prosecution of crimes of gender violence against African American people.
d. Measures necessary to address and reduce violence against African American women and girls.
e. Measures to help victims, victims’ families, and victims’ communities prevent and heal from violence that occurs against African American women and girls.
2. The task force shall, by December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2026, submit to the governor a report that includes all of the following:
a. Proposed institutional policies and practices that are effective in reducing gender violence and increasing the safety of African American women and girls.
b. Recommendations to eliminate violence against African American women and girls.
c. Recommendations to help victims and communities heal from gender violence and violence against African American women and girls.
****Note: Would you like the reports submitted to any legislative committees?
3. In accomplishing the tasks in subds. 1. and 2., the task force shall seek out and enlist the cooperation and assistance of nongovernmental organizations, community and advocacy organizations working with the African American community, and academic researchers and experts, specifically those specializing in violence against African American women and girls, representing diverse communities disproportionately affected by violence against women and girls, or focusing on issues related to gender violence and violence against African American women and girls.
(end)
