AN ACT Relating to enhancing criminal justice programs; creating new sections; making an appropriation; and prescribing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature, in pursuit of the goal of public safety, recognizes that the incidence of crime is increasing in Washington state thus requiring that a greater share of scarce local resources be allocated for criminal justice services. The legislature also recognizes the importance of communication between criminal justice entities and the need for the coordination of criminal justice services.

In recognition of these factors, the legislature hereby creates a local criminal justice enhancement program designed to ease the economic impact of crime on local units of government through the strategic coordination and enhancement of criminal justice services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The sum of twenty million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the office of financial management for the purposes stated in section 3 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1)(a) Moneys appropriated under section 2 of this act shall be distributed by the department of community development to the counties, cities, and towns of the state, seventy-five percent on a per capita basis and twenty-five percent as discretionary grants.

(b) The per capita allocation may be used to fund preparation of local criminal justice plans and to increase staffing levels and supporting services in the following areas:

(i) Law enforcement personnel, including police and sheriff;

(ii) Criminal prosecution personnel;

(iii) Indigent defense personnel;

(iv) Juvenile diversion programs; and

(v) Crime prevention programs.

(i) To supplant or replace appropriations from existing sources to fund the same services; or

(ii) For capital projects.

(d) The discretionary grants may be awarded to those jurisdictions that have documented a particular criminal justice problem that requires an immediate particular response for that jurisdiction. The grants may be awarded to only those applicants who demonstrate innovative approaches in resolving the identified criminal justice problem and who clearly lack the fiscal capacity to solve the problem without state assistance.

(e) Moneys distributed under this section shall not be used to supplant preexisting funding sources and may be used for purposes of limited capital costs as may be necessary for the completion of the innovative projects.

(f) The department of community development in conjunction with the criminal justice coordinating council shall adopt rules governing the distribution, use, and periodic audit of the moneys distributed under this section.

(g) The department of community development in conjunction with the criminal justice coordinating council shall develop criteria for awarding grants under section 3 of this act. The award criteria shall include the following:

(i) Prior submission of a criminal justice plan that describes existing criminal justice activities, current resource allocation, projected criminal justice needs, and projected resource allocation, outlines the goals and objectives for utilization of the per capita grant resources, and documents the need for such funding. The creation and submission of the local criminal justice plan will assist the legislature in identifying and assessing problems within the criminal justice system that occur at the local level and exceed local fiscal capacity;

(ii) The per capita grant proposals must address specific objectives and contain a coordinated strategy to combat crime;

(iii) There must be evidence of community-wide participation in preparation of the proposal;

(iv) There must be evidence of additional local resources committed to the proposed action or program; and

(v) There must be an assurance that the funds applied for, if received, would not be used to replace funding for existing activities.

(h) Greater consideration of funding shall be given to those projects that utilize multijurisdictional approaches in addressing particular problems.

(2) The criminal justice coordinating council is established to assist the department of community development in providing technical expertise and guidance in the development of the plans and grant proposals and to assist in selecting which discretionary grant applications that will be funded. The criminal justice coordinating council consists of the following individuals:

(a) The secretary of the department of corrections or the secretary's designee;

(b) The chief of the Washington state patrol, or the chief's designee;

(d) A representative from the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;

(e) A representative from the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys;

(f) The director of the department of community development or the director's designee;

(g) A representative from the Washington association of cities;

(h) A representative from the Washington association of counties;

(i) A superior court judge nominated by the superior court judges association; and

(j) A district court judge nominated by the Washington magistrates' association.

(3) This act shall expire on December 31, 1994.