The bill provides $20,000,000 in grant funding in the 2023-25 fiscal biennium through DOJ to support community policing and community prosecution. In awarding the grants, DOJ may consider the use of hot-spot policing practices to address the needs of the community.
Violence prevention grants
The bill provides $10,000,000 in grant funding in the 2023-25 fiscal biennium through DOJ for violence prevention programs. Under the bill, DOJ must consult with DHS to determine grant awards.
Becky Young recidivism reduction
The bill increases by $5,000,000 in each fiscal year of the 2023-25 biennium the funding for community services established by DOC that have the goals of increasing public safety, reducing the risk that offenders on community supervision will reoffend, and reducing recidivism among people who are on probation, parole, or extended supervision.
Increasing position authorizations for Department of Justice programs
The bill authorizes DOJ to create the following positions:
1. Five additional positions for the alternatives to prosecution and incarceration grant program.
2. Two additional positions for law enforcement officer training and wellness initiatives.
3. Four additional positions for law enforcement toxicology services.
4. Two new investigators in the Division of Criminal Investigation.
5. Two additional assistant attorney general positions to prosecute violent crimes.
6. Two positions for the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
MISCELLANEOUS
Mental health and substance use services
Currently, DHS must award crisis program enhancement grants to counties or multicounty regions to establish crisis programs to serve individuals having crises in rural areas or counties, municipalities, or regions composed of multiple counties or municipalities to establish and enhance law enforcement and behavioral health services emergency response collaboration programs. Grant recipients must match at least 25 percent of the grant awarded. The bill eliminates the matching requirement and increases the amount of funding for the program from $250,000 per fiscal biennium of general purpose revenue to $15,000,000 per fiscal biennium. Additionally, the bill increases general purpose revenue funding for grants for mental health and substance use services grants and programs, including peer-run respite centers and opioid and methamphetamine treatment programs.
Hate crimes reporting portal
This bill requires DOJ to develop an Internet-based reporting system and a telephone hotline for the reporting of hate crimes. Under the bill, DOJ must conduct a public education campaign on hate crimes and where to report them and must collect data relating to the reporting of hate crimes. Under the bill, DOJ is required to submit a biennial report to the legislature on the reporting of hate crimes.
Higher education and special education funding; maintenance of effort
The bill provides additional funding for higher education and for special education aid the Department of Public Instruction pays to school districts, independent charter schools, cooperative educational service agencies, and county children with disabilities education boards, for purposes of maintaining compliance with maintenance of effort requirements of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Statute of limitations after discovery of DNA evidence
The bill changes the applicable time limits on prosecution when DNA evidence implicates an individual in the commission of a felony.
Under current law, prosecution for a felony generally must be commenced within six years of the commission of the felony, and prosecution of a misdemeanor must be commenced within three years of the commission of the misdemeanor. Certain crimes have a longer time limit on prosecutions, and prosecution for certain crimes, such as homicide, may be commenced at any time.
Under current law, if, within the applicable time limit on prosecution or, if there is no time limit on prosecution, within six years of the commission of a felony, a DNA sample is collected that implicates a person in the commission of a felony, the state may commence prosecution of the person who is the source of the biological material for the felony or a crime that is related to the felony within 12 months after the DNA analysis results in a probable identification of the person or within the applicable time limit on prosecution, whichever is latest.
Under the bill, the statute of limitations is reset at the time a person is implicated in the commission of a felony by DNA evidence. Under the bill, the state may commence prosecution of the person for the felony or a crime related to the felony within the applicable statute of limitations beginning on the day that the person is implicated in the crime by DNA evidence.
Fraud scheme
The bill creates a new crime of fraud scheme. Under current law, obtaining title to property of another person by intentionally deceiving the person is a type of theft. Under current law, multiple thefts may be charged as one offense if they are part of a single deceptive scheme. The bill creates a new crime that combines these concepts for circumstances when a single deceptive scheme results in theft by fraud.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.