HOUSE BILL NO. 6543
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December 18, 2020, Introduced by Reps. Aiyash, Gay-Dagnogo, Brenda Carter and Garza and referred to the Committee on Judiciary. |
A bill to create the office of social work and police partnerships and to prescribe its powers and duties; to create the social work and police partnerships council and to prescribe its powers and duties; to prescribe the powers and duties of state departments and agencies; to create certain funds; to impose certain duties on certain state and local officials; to make appropriations for various state departments; and to provide for the expenditure of the appropriations.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "social work and police partnerships act".
(a) "Advisory council" or "council" means the social work and police partnerships advisory council described in section 5.
(b) "Community agency" means a community mental health agency or a social service agency.
(c) "Community mental health agency" means a department-designated community mental health entity as that term is defined under section 100a of the mental health code, 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1100a.
(d) "Department" means the department of health and human services.
(e) "Disproportionate racial impact" means the percentage of individuals from a particular race who are arrested or incarcerated is significantly higher than the percentage of that group in the population, for that geographical area.
(f) "High crime rate" means the rate of crime in the local unit of government is higher than for 75% of local units of government in this state as determined by the council.
(g) "High incarceration rate" means the rate of incarceration for individuals from that local unit of government is greater than that for 75% of communities in this state as determined by the council.
(h) "Licensed professional counselor" means that term as defined in section 18101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.18101.
(i) "Local unit of government" means a city, village, or township.
(j) "Office" means the office of social work and police partnerships created in section 3.
(k) "Organization" means an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 501, with experience in grantmaking in a target community and that contracts with the office to administer a social work and police partnerships grant program under this act.
(m) "Social service agency" means an agency or organization that provides services toward the prevention, improvement, or resolution of health, mental health, social, or environmental problems that affect individuals, families, specific groups, or communities.
(o) "Target community" means a local unit of government with a high crime rate, high incarceration rate, or disproportionate racial impact.
Sec. 3. (1) The office of social work and police partnerships is created in the department of health and human services.
(2) The head of the office is the director of the department or his or her designee.
(3) The office shall do all of the following:
(a) Create the social work and police partnerships council under section 5.
(b) Create the social work and police partnerships grant program, review grant applications, and distribute grants under section 4.
(c) Develop a model memorandum of understanding between community mental health and social service agencies and law enforcement.
(d) Manage external evaluation and ensure that grant data are collected by grant recipients in order to determine best future practices and criteria for future grants.
(e) Provide technical assistance and coordination, and facilitate sharing of best practices among grant recipients.
(f) Assist with cross-training resources between law enforcement and social workers, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists.
(g) Work with social work stakeholders and advocates to ensure proper training for social workers, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists working with law enforcement.
Sec. 4. (1) The office shall create a social work and police partnerships grant program to provide competitive grants to assist local units of government and organizations in target communities identified by the council in section 5.
(2) The social work and police partnerships grant program shall provide that the grant proceeds may be used, as determined by the office, to provide social workers, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists to partner with law enforcement agencies at a community mental health or social service agency. Each community agency and law enforcement agency receiving a partnership grant must have and provide to the office a copy of their memorandum of understanding that delineates how the social workers, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists and law enforcement will be integrated or coordinated. The social workers, licensed professional counselors, or psychologists shall perform duties including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Responding with law enforcement to emergency calls, including, but not limited to, calls involving mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness.
(b) Referring individuals to treatment, housing, and other social services.
(c) Counseling crime victims.