2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2450/1
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2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 173
April 10, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives SORTWELL, S. JOHNSON, DOYLE,
ANDRACA, ARMSTRONG, DITTRICH, EDMING and SHANKLAND, cosponsored by
Senators JAMES, BALLWEG, CABRAL-GUEVARA, CARPENTER, SPREITZER and
TAYLOR. Referred to Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Prevention.
1 AN ACT to create 20.435 (5) (eh) and 51.73 of the statutes; relating to: grants
2 to prevent suicide by firearm and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Health Services to award grants to
organizations or coalitions of organizations, including cities, villages, towns,
counties, and federally recognized American Indian tribes or bands, for 1) training
staff at a firearm retailer or firearm range on how to recognize a person that may be
considering suicide; 2) providing suicide prevention materials for distribution at a
firearm retailer or firearm range; or 3) providing voluntary, temporary firearm
storage for the lawful owner of a firearm. A grant recipient must contribute
matching funds or in-kind services having a value equal to at least 20 percent of the
grant amount.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
3 SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
4 the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
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ASSEMBLY BILL 173 SECTION 1
2023-24 2024-25
1 20.435 Health services, department of
2 (5) MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
3 (eh) Grants to prevent suicide by
4 firearm GPR B 75,000 75,000
5 SECTION 2. 20.435 (5) (eh) of the statutes is created to read:
6 20.435 (5) (eh) Grants to prevent suicide by firearm. Biennially, the amounts
7 in the schedule for grants related to preventing suicide by firearm under s. 51.73.
8 SECTION 3. 51.73 of the statutes is created to read:
9 51.73 Grants to prevent suicide by firearm. (1) From the appropriation
10 under s. 20.435 (5) (eh), the department shall award grants to organizations or
11 coalitions of organizations, which may include a city, village, town, county, or
12 federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state, for any of the
13 following purposes:
14 (a) To train staff at a firearm retailer or firearm range on how to recognize a
15 person that may be considering suicide.
16 (b) To provide suicide prevention materials for distribution at a firearm retailer
17 or firearm range.
18 (c) To provide voluntary, temporary firearm storage for the lawful owner of a
19 firearm.
20 (2) The department may not award a grant under sub. (1) unless the recipient
21 contributes matching funds or in-kind services having a value equal to at least 20
22 percent of the grant.
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ASSEMBLY BILL 173 SECTION 3
1 (3) The department may not award a grant to a recipient under sub. (1) for an
2 amount that exceeds $5,000. The department may not award a grant under sub. (1)
3 having a duration of more than one year and may not automatically renew a grant
4 awarded under sub. (1). This subsection shall not be construed to prevent an
5 organization or coalition of organizations from reapplying for a grant in consecutive
6 years. In awarding grants under sub. (1), the department shall give preference to
7 organizations or coalitions of organizations that have not previously received a grant
8 under this section.
9 SECTION 4.0Effective date.
10 (1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
11 publication of the 2023 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
12 (END)