HB 1445

This bill creates within the state general fund a special account to be known as the law enforcement officer recruitment fund. The purpose of this fund is to assist a city, municipal, or county law enforcement agency that has vacancies in 10% or more of the agency's funde d law enforcement officer positions (" eligible law enforcement agency"" ) in officer recruitment. This bill requires t he department of finance and administration, office of criminal justice programs, to administer the fund and establish procedures for eligible law enforcement agencies to apply for grants. The procedures must include a pplication requirements, c riteria for determining the amount of each grant awarded and eligible grant expenditures, and r eporting requirements for law enforcement agencies receiving grants to ensure accountability and measure program effectiveness. Subject to available funds, this bill requires the office of criminal justice programs to allocate and disburse grants from the fund to eligible law enforcement agencies pursuant to the established procedures. Grant funds must be expended only for the purposes of officer recruitment by eligible law enforcement agencies. This bill requires m oneys deposited into the fund to be used only to implement and administer the purposes set forth in this bill . In addition to appropriations made to the fund, the department may accept other funds, public or private, by way of gift or grant to the fund. A gift or grant must be deposited into the fund to be expended in accordance with this bill . This bill requires the department to promulgate rules necessary to effectuate this bill."