H.B. 843
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
Apr 24, 2023
SESSION 2023 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH40424-MLa-126
Short Title: Community Violence Intervention Funding. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Ball.
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN
3 THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO BE USED TO AWARD COMPETITIVE
4 GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AND
5 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO FUND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY
6 VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS.
7 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
8 SECTION 1. Definition. – For purposes of this act, the term "community violence
9 intervention program" is a program that focuses on individuals at the highest risk of violence and
10 uses prevention and intervention strategies to reduce violence and retaliation. This term includes
11 violence interruption, group violence intervention, hospital-based violence intervention, violence
12 intervention programs that use cognitive behavioral therapy, and violence reduction through
13 environmental design interventions such as blight reduction and cleaning and greening.
14 SECTION 2. Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the
15 Office of Violence Prevention in the Department of Public Safety the sum of ten million dollars
16 ($10,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium to be
17 used to award competitive grants to local governments, law enforcement agencies, and nonprofit
18 organizations to fund the development of community violence intervention programs in the
19 communities served by the grant recipients.
20 SECTION 3. Grants Process. – The Office of Violence Prevention shall establish
21 the procedures and criteria for awarding grants under this act and make the final decision about
22 grant awards, subject to all of the following limitations:
23 (1) Funds shall be awarded to recipients that serve communities located in
24 municipalities with high levels of violence, as determined by (i) the total
25 number of homicides in the municipality over the three-year period preceding
26 the date of the application for grant funds or (ii) a homicide rate in the
27 municipality over the three-year period preceding the date of the application
28 for the grant funds that substantially exceeds the State's overall homicide rate
29 for that same period.
30 (2) In addition to any other criteria set forth in this act or established by the Office
31 of Violence Prevention, an applicant for grant funds under the grant program
32 shall identify the segment or area of the population it serves as having the
33 highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence and primarily use
34 grant funds received under this grant program to provide violence intervention
35 services to that segment or area of the population.
*DRH40424-MLa-126*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023
1 (3) In addition to any other criteria set forth in this act or established by the Office
2 of Violence Prevention, a law enforcement agency that applies for funding
3 under the grant program established under this act shall only be eligible to
4 receive funding if it provides the Office of Violence Prevention with a
5 memorandum of understanding entered into with a non-law enforcement
6 entity establishing how funds received under this grant program are to be used,
7 including identifying non-law enforcement intervention strategies for which
8 at least fifty percent (50%) of the grant funds received must be used.
9 (4) An applicant may not receive more than one grant under the grant program
10 established under this act.
11 (5) The size of a single grant awarded under the grant program established under
12 this act may not exceed five million dollars ($5,000,000).
13 SECTION 4. Reversion. – Funds appropriated in Section 2 of this act shall remain
14 available until the earlier of the date the funds are expended in accordance with the provisions of
15 this act or July 1, 2026.
16 SECTION 5. Report. – Beginning December 1, 2023, and semiannually thereafter
17 until all of the funds appropriated in this act have been expended, the Office of Violence
18 Prevention shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety
19 on all of the following for the three-month period preceding the report:
20 (1) The number of grant awards.
21 (2) The amount awarded to each grantee.
22 (3) The geographic area and segment or area of the population each grantee will
23 serve with funds awarded to it under the grant program.
24 (4) The purpose for which each grantee shall use funds awarded to it under the
25 grant program.
26 SECTION 6. Effective Date. – This act becomes effective July 1, 2023.
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