BP BHEAD INT H [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to the prevention of juvenile violence; amending RCW 43.121.050 and 43.121.090; adding new sections to chapter 43.121 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 43.88 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW to read as follows:

The legislature of the state of Washington finds that community deterioration and family disintegration are increasing problems in our state. One clear indicator of this damage is juvenile crime and violence. The legislature further finds that prevention is one of the best methods of fighting juvenile crime. Building more facilities to house juvenile offenders is only one part of the solution: Increased spending on confining juvenile offenders must be closely linked to efforts to prevent juvenile crime.

Research indicates that providing funding for prevention programs is a cost-effective method of preventing and reducing juvenile crime. To this end, the legislature establishes the family investment account. By encouraging spending on juvenile crime prevention programs to equal state increases in spending on confining juvenile offender rehabilitation facilities, the legislature intends to improve outcomes for children and youth and prevent the continued deterioration of communities and the breakdown of families.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:

(1) On January 1, 1998, the state treasurer shall transfer money from the state general fund to the family investment account, created in section 3 of this act, in an amount equal to any increase in capital and operating expenditures for the institutional services program of the juvenile rehabilitation administration in the department of social and health services for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, over the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996.

(2) On the first day of January in each year subsequent to January 1998, the state treasurer shall transfer money from the state general fund to the family investment account in an amount equal to any increase in capital and operating expenditures for the institutional services program of the juvenile rehabilitation administration in the department of social and health services for the fiscal year immediately preceding the January in which the funds are transferred over the preceding fiscal year.

(3) The office of financial management shall notify the state treasurer of the precise amount to be transferred under subsections (1) and (2) of this section no later than December 31st of each year.

(4) The amount transferred in any one year may not exceed eighteen million dollars.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW to read as follows:

The family investment account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All moneys transferred under the authority of section 2 of this act shall be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account shall be used only for the purposes of section 4 of this act. Only the executive director of the council or his or her designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The council's executive director or his or her designee may authorize expenditures from the family investment account created under section 3 of this act, subject to available funds. The expenditures shall be in the form of grants to be awarded by the council on a competitive basis based on the recommendations of the family investment grant review team, created in section 5 of this act.

(2) All grant applications shall:

(a) Identify the program or proposed program;

(b) Identify the entity or organization proposing the program. Eligible organizations include, but are not limited to, local charities, civic organizations, local governments, tribes, and community networks;

(c) Include a plan for expenditure of the funds, including specifying what percentage of the grant will be spent on administration and evaluation costs; and

(d) Include a plan to analyze the effectiveness of the program.

(3) A program is eligible for a grant under this section only if the program:

(a) Is designed to reduce conditions associated with the entry of youth into the juvenile justice system;

(b) Is a new program or an expansion of an existing program;

(d) Has community support and is community-based;

(e) Will be used for prevention of juvenile crime and not for the treatment or confinement of adjudicated or diverted juvenile offenders; and

(f) Is in addition to any other state or locally funded prevention program and will not supplant existing state or local funds.

(4) To encourage local ownership of youth violence prevention programs, grants awarded by the council under this section shall:

(a) Have a duration of up to two years, with funding provided in decreasing amounts over the duration of the grant; and

(b) Not exceed more than seventy-five percent of the total estimated cost of a program. Entities or organizations applying for grants under this section must demonstrate that at least twenty-five percent of the cost of the program will be funded from nonstate moneys.

(5) To encourage grant applications, the council shall simplify the grant application process to the greatest extent possible.

(6) The council may require that a percentage of the expenditures for a grant be spent to evaluate the program's effectiveness. The council may also require that the evaluation be conducted by individuals or organizations that are not participating in the program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The family investment grant review team is established to make recommendations to the council on the funding of grants from the family investment account.

(2) The review team shall consist of no more than fifteen persons appointed by the council. Appointees must represent the state's geographic and cultural diversity and have demonstrated an interest in juvenile violence and its prevention. The review team shall include representatives from entities that disperse funds targeted at youth, including, but not limited to, the office of crime victims advocacy, the governor's juvenile justice advisory committee, the family policy council, the department of health, the stop youth violence advisory committee, the Washington council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and the division of alcohol and substance abuse within the department of social and health services.

(3) Review team members are eligible for reimbursement of expenses under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(4) Review team members serve two-year terms.

Sec. 6. RCW 43.121.050 and 1988 c 278 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

To carry out the purposes of this chapter, the council may:

(1) Contract with public or private nonprofit organizations, agencies, schools, or with qualified individuals for the establishment of community-based educational and service programs designed to:

(a) Reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect; and

(b) Provide for parenting skills which include: Consistency in parenting; providing children with positive discipline that provides firm order without hurting children physically or emotionally; and preserving and nurturing the family unit. Programs to provide these parenting skills may include the following:

(i) Programs to teach positive methods of disciplining children;

(ii) Programs to educate parents about the physical, mental, and emotional development of children;

(iii) Programs to enhance the skills of parents in providing for their children's learning and development; and

(iv) Learning experiences for children and parents to help prepare parents and children for the experiences in school. Contracts also may be awarded for research programs related to primary and secondary prevention of child abuse and neglect, and to develop and strengthen community child abuse and neglect prevention networks. Each contract entered into by the council shall contain a provision for the evaluation of services provided under the contract. Contracts for services to prevent child abuse and child neglect shall be awarded as demonstration projects with continuation based upon goal attainment. Contracts for services to prevent child abuse and child neglect shall be awarded on the basis of probability of success based in part upon sound research data.

(2) Award grants from the family investment account in accordance with section 4 of this act.

(3) Facilitate the exchange of information between groups concerned with families ((~~and~~)), children, and juvenile crime.

((~~(3)~~)) (4) Consult with applicable state agencies, commissions, and boards to help determine the probable effectiveness, fiscal soundness, and need for proposed educational and service programs for the prevention of child abuse and neglect and the prevention of juvenile crime.

((~~(4)~~)) (5) Establish fee schedules to provide for the recipients of services to reimburse the state general fund for the cost of services received.

((~~(5)~~)) (6) Adopt its own bylaws.

((~~(6)~~)) (7) Adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

Sec. 7. RCW 43.121.090 and 1987 c 505 s 38 are each amended to read as follows:

Subject to RCW 40.07.040, the council shall report biennially to the governor and to the legislature concerning the council's activities and the effectiveness of those activities in fostering the prevention of child abuse and neglect and juvenile crime.